


The Last of the [Romanov] Schlatt Family

by rozey_woes



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Anastasia AU, But its Dream SMP, DadSchlatt, Exiled Jschlatt, Gen, Inspired by Anastasia (1997 & Broadway), Jschlatt Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Orphan Tubbo, Parent Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Story of what happened before Phil found Tubbo at the side of the road, Tubbo loses his memory, kingdom au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28266570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rozey_woes/pseuds/rozey_woes
Summary: The story leading up to Phil finding Tubbo on the side of the road and "adopting" him, followed by a journey to find his biological father. Something similar to an Anastasia AU for the Dream SMP, based on the events in the beginning of the movie where the Romanov's had to flee and Anastasia gets left behind. But instead, this is an AU where Schlatt is Tubbo's father, and when Dream banned Schlatt from the SMP the two of them had to flee before Dream could catch Schlatt and kill him. They try to catch a train leaving L'Manburg, but only Schlatt makes it onto the train.
Relationships: Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo
Comments: 101
Kudos: 280





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> If you've never seen Anastasia, then you can watch this clip to get the gist of what this whole story was based around: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCpOqKQ2qgA&t=6s
> 
> It definitely fits the soundtrack I imagine would be playing while Schlatt and Tubbo flee.
> 
> As for the lullaby they sing, this is it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0qieFOL0HA 
> 
> Both of those are good clips I suggest you watch if you haven't seen Anastasia, they're pretty short and will help you imagine this story better. Or at least make the feels hit you harder.

Two males were sitting in the forest in front of a campfire. One older, and one younger - just a little boy. They held each other close in a tight embrace as they stared into the fire, making small talk of their plans. 

"Tubbo, I have something for you." the father murmured, causing his son to look up at him with bright curiosity.

"What is it, dad?" he chirped, smiling. Schlatt couldn't help but smile himself. His son was a beacon of light in the darkness, and the boy's happiness never failed to bring warmth to the older male's heart. 

Schlatt pulled out a necklace. Tubbo's eyes widened, gazing at it in awe. "What is it?" he asked, already beginning to poke at it.

"It's a compass and a music box." his father explained with a smile, and carefully opened up the clasp on the circular item attached to leather string. Along the top of the compass were the words 'Together in Paris' engraved in cursive. Tubbo looked at his father with surprise. "Paris?" 

"Yes, son. We're going to Paris. We'll be there together. We won't have to travel anymore." he laughed, leaning his forehead against his son's. 

"Oh, dad! That's going to be so fun!" the boy cheered, a happy laugh emitting from his lips. His father smiled, looping the string around the boy's neck so it could hang like a necklace. 

"Listen to this," the male told the boy, fingers nimbly turning a dial on the side of the compass. Soon, a quiet melody began to play. Tubbo's eyes instantly lit up as he recognized the tune as the song his father often sang to him. "It plays our lullaby...!"

"Mhm, you can play it at night before you go to sleep, and pretend that it's me singing." the father hummed, a smile on his lips. 

"On the wind, cross the sea," the father sang gently, the soft music of the music box playing as he sang. He laughed as he held Tubbo's hands, swaying their conjoined hands back and forth, even giving Tubbo a little swirl. "Hear this song and remember..."

"Soon, you'll be home with me, once upon a December..." Tubbo joined in singing, their voices melting together like smooth honey. The song ended, and the two laughed, coming together for a hug.

Little did they know, they would never be together in Paris...

* * *

_Lightning crashed in the sky as rain poured down upon the Dream SMP. Schlatt, a traveller, had decided to take refuge in the SMP with his 8-year-old son Tubbo from the elements on their travels. Schlatt left Tubbo inside a small shack he made temporarily to keep the boy warm and dry while he went and retrieved food for the both of them._

_All was well, until Dream noticed Schlatt's presence. He didn't take too kindly to strangers in their kingdom._

_So now, Schlatt was blindly running through the city, thunder and lightning booming overhead. The masked man wasn't far behind him, sword in hand._

_Another person stepped out onto the path in front of him to block his way, causing the male to have to do a right-turn and duck down an alleyway. He ran as fast as he could, taking many confusing turns and circling back in order to confuse the team who were after him. Schlatt had to get to Tubbo. They needed to run._

_When he believed he temporarily lost the men searching for him, Schlatt quietly slipped back to the shack where he had hid Tubbo. He slipped in the door, and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the small boy crouching in the corner, peering up at him with frightened eyes._

_"I heard shouting, dad." the boy spoke, shaking like a leaf and had tears visibly running down his cheeks. Something boomed in the father's chest as he kneeled down, embracing his son despite both of them being soaked from the rain._

_"It's okay, I'm here now. We have to leave though." he murmured to the boy, petting his head. He grabbed the few items they had, and grabbed Tubbo's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We have to run. Keep up with me, okay?"_

_The brunette nodded, shivering from both the fear and the cold. Schlatt put his own cloak around Tubbo to help keep him warm._

_They slipped out of the shack, and Schlatt could see the men in the distance searching for them. About 100 meters away, one of the men noticed them, pointing and shouting now._

_"Fuck. Run, Tubbo!" the male ordered, tightening his grip on Tubbo's hand. They broke into a run, heading down the street away from the chasing guards. Both father and son were soaked to the bone from the rain that boomed dangerously overhead, but they were too concerned about their lives at the moment to care._

_"Dad, they're getting closer!" the boy cried in fear, causing the father to run faster. Tubbo struggled to keep up, but the firm grip his father had on his hand helped him to stick with the older male._

_In the distance, Schlatt heard the sound of a train departing at the nearby station. Perfect! A one-way ticket right out of here. He took a sharp right turn, pulling the boy with him. Through the rain and the darkness surrounding them, Schlatt could see the train beginning to slowly make its way into the forest. With the guards not too far behind them, Schlatt didn't have time to waste._

_"Dad!" the small boy cried in fear._

_"Keep up with me, son!" he shouted, squeezing Tubbo's hand. They finally hit the tracks, the train not too far ahead of them. It was still chugging along slowly, beginning to pick up speed. "Tubbo, hurry!"_

_Schlatt's fingers grazed the back of the train's railings. Citizens on the train noticed their haste, and attempted to help them up onto the train. As Schlatt got a foot on the train he was pulled up by some others, his hand accidentally slipped out of Tubbo's, who was still chasing the train. "TUBBO!" the father screamed, leaning over the railing as the boy chased the train. "Grab my hand!"_

_Their fingers grazed each others, Schlatt lurching over the railing as he grasped Tubbo's hand in a firm grip. "Don't let go!" cried Tubbo. Schlatt did everything he could to hold onto his son's hand, but the train had picked up too much speed, causing their hands to slip out of each other's. A bit of distance was put between the father and son, a scream ripping out of Tubbo's mouth as he tripped, hitting the ground and falling unconscious immediately._

_"TUBBO!" the father screamed in horror, and would have jumped off the train to help his son had the passengers not actively prevented him from doing so - the train was now travelling much too fast to safely jump off. All the father could do was watch in horror as the train sped away, leaving his son behind on the tracks unconscious._

* * *

Many, many years later, Schlatt sat in the chair of his sofa, holding a picture frame in his hands. The room was dark, only lit by the fireplace he sat in front of. He reminisced about that night a lot. He did it most often when there was a thunderstorm. The dark clouds, cold rain and loud thunder reminded the father the mistake he made when they decided to stop for a break in the Dream SMP. His blurry eyes wet with tears gazed down at the photo of the small 8-year-old boy in his hands. A photo they took together while on their travels. So many lives were destroyed that night. 

As for his son, Tubbo...?

He never saw him again.


	2. Tubbo's Childhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touches on what happened to Tubbo after he lost his father and all his memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially taking this story and running with it, I have so much MOTIVATION so look for a few more chapters!!!!

_"Phil?" a voice called out, belonging to the 16-year-old boy as he sat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling._

_"Yes?" came the reply, and Philza peeked his head around the corner from where he had been standing in the kitchen._

_"...Can you please tell me the story again? Of how you found me." he requested in a quiet voice, straightening up hopefully._

_Phil nodded, leaving whatever he was doing in the kitchen as he went over to the couch, sitting down beside his adopted son and putting an arm around his shoulders. Tubbo asked about his past way too much. He often asked Philza to explain it over and over to him from the start, as if hearing it again would help him to remember who he was._

_"Well, let's see, where to begin..." the male hummed, smiling as Tubbo leaned into his embrace._

* * *

The 8-year-old had woken up, finding himself laying on train tracks. The sun shown through the trees, and the boy's clothes were slightly damp like the ground. It appeared to have rained last night.

Glancing around him, he sat up, slightly scared. The railroad tracks lay ahead of him dangerously, calling out to him. He felt like he should feel something. But he couldn't remember anything at all. The tracks stretched on infinitely ahead of him, almost symbolically. He stared down the path blankly, trying to remember anything. 

He could... remember something... holding onto someone's hand, before they accidentally let go. He remembered screaming before everything went dark. Now, he was here. As soon as that memory had come to him, it was gone again.

He slowly stood up, shakily stepping off the tracks. He glanced back at the town behind them, then down the railway that continued away from the town. Something inside him told him to head that way.

As he walked, he took notice of the pendant-looking necklace hanging around his neck. He slowed in his walk, picking it up to examine it. Was this his? He couldn't remember anything about it. 

He gasped when he accidentally made it pop open. He noticed the cursive words on it. "Together in... Paris?" he mumbled to himself, confused. He noticed a dial on the side of the compass, and he turned it a few times. A soft melody picked up.

It was almost familiar to the boy. He stopped walking, listening to it. He found himself humming along to the familiar tune. A vague memory of someone singing him to sleep as he was tucked into bed. He reached out to grasp the memory, but the wind pulled it away like the clouds before he could.

"It's a mighty beast!" a child-like voice called out, unexpectedly close to him. He whirled around, noticing a blonde boy around his age holding a wooden sword in his hand, pointing it at him. He blinked, confused until he heard more voices.

"What are you attacking now, Tommy?" a gentle, raspy voice asked with a chuckle from out of sight, and soon a tall adult male entered their view, stopping immediately in surprise as his eyes landed on the dirty boy standing on the tracks. 

"I will slay the beast!" yelled the blonde boy, charging at Tubbo, waving the sword around wildly. Something about the male coming at him with a sword spiked fear in him, and he screamed, stumbling backwards and running off into the forest.

"Wait- Tommy, stop! You, boy! Come back!" the adult voice called out. Was he going to listen? No. He didn't know these scary people.

He stumbled blindly through the forest, letting out a scream as the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath his feet. He was plummeting through the air - before he knew it, he was landing in someone's arms. He thrashed around wildly, and whoever was holding him let go, dropping him to the ground. 

The young boy glanced up at who caught him, noticing the male appeared to be a teen with long, pink hair and glasses.

The others caught up with him, now surrounding him. There were 4 of them. The tall guy, who appeared to have 3 kids with him. One his age, and the other two looking to be around 15 years old. 

The oldest kneeled down in front of him, offering him a kind smile. "Hi, little one. My name is Philza. What's your name?"

The boy had to think hard, a puzzled frown on his lips. "My name is... uh... Tubbo."

"Well, Tubbo, where are your parents?" another interjected, one of the older boys now. This time, it was the boy with pink hair.

Tubbo had to think for a long time about that one. "Er... I don't know. I can't remember."

That made Philza concerned for the boy, noticing the bump on his head. 

"HE'S AN ORPHAN!" the pink haired boy shrieked jokingly, followed by the brown-haired boy breaking off into laughter. The pink haired male would have announced "kill it" had his father not slapped a hand over his mouth, knowing _fully well_ what he was about to say. The teen rolled his eyes as his father removed his hand, turning his attention back to the young boy before him. 

This time, the blonde who previously tried to slay him went up to him, wrapping the equal-sized boy in a bone-crushing hug. "Can we keep it, dad?" he asked innocently.

"Tommy, he's not some kind of pet-" Phil wheezed, laughing before he turned his attention to the boy. "Well, come on, let's get you back to our house. I'll get you some clean clothes and get you washed up, you're filthy." 

Tubbo nodded, not really having much of a choice. He couldn't remember who he was or where he was from, and had no idea where he actually lived. So going with these people seemed like the best bet. 

* * *

In the end, they couldn't find Tubbo's parents no matter how hard they tried. No one in L'Manburg knew who Tubbo was, or knew who his parents could possibly be. They decided that Tubbo would stay with Philza and his sons until they could find his parents.

His new brothers did everything they could to help him fit in.

Tommy was a fun play-mate who was down to do anything with him. They spent most of their time wrestling, fighting with wooden swords, and exploring the area surrounding their house in the woods. The family took Tubbo with them on adventures all over L'Manburg, hoping that maybe they would find an area of interest that would trigger the boy's memory. It never worked. At least, not until they stumbled upon a dirt shack a few days after they took him in. Tubbo immediately stopped in front of it, gazing at it with a weird feeling in his chest. The family noticed his curiosity, and fell silent as he investigated the shack. Not even Tommy spoke.

Tubbo pulled the board away from the shack, which covered a hole that led inside. 

Techno approached the shack slowly, watching the small boy climb into it. There were food remains on the ground, but the thing he noticed most was the foot prints in the muddy dirt that had partially dried. A pair of large footprints, followed by a smaller pair. Techno had an idea, and had Tubbo step in the dirt beside one of the little foot prints.

When he stepped back, the older teen sucked in a breath, glancing back at Philza, beckoning him forward. Together, they gazed down at the old and the new footprint. They were identical. Even Tubbo seemed to make the realization that he had been here before. He just couldn't remember why this shack was relevant. the more they investigated, the more worried Philza became that something bad happened to Tubbo's parents.

* * *

Meanwhile, Techno and Wilbur were really nice to him. Techno explained to him how his compass worked, and of course, Wilbur was really excited when he realized Tubbo's compass was a secret music box.

"Maybe your parents are in Paris." Tommy suggested one time after reading the compass' engraved words.

Every night when Tubbo went to bed, he would play the music box over and over again a few times, staring up at his ceiling. Or rather, the bedroom he shared with Tommy. Thankfully, Tommy didn't mind the soft tunes coming from the compass as they both fell asleep.

Some days, he would sit down with Wilbur and Techno as they tried to help him decipher what the compass meant. Sure, it was such an insignificant object, but it was the only key that they had to unlocking Tubbo's forgotten past.

Tubbo could still remember the first day Wilbur pulled out his guitar. The older teen had the young boy play his music box, and he easily sounded out what the chords were to the song. Tubbo sat wide-eyed as he heard his song being played on the guitar.

He hummed along, mouth wanting to sing the words to the song that he didn't know. Tommy and Tubbo stood up, dancing to the tune of the music and pretending to waltz together. It was hilarious for the brothers and their father to see two tiny children shuffling in a circle while holding hands as they tried to mimic what waltzing looked like. 

The family laughed, having fun together. Techno stood up, and began waltzing with his father to the music. Of course, the half-Piglin just had to show off his dancing skills. They were even better than their father's skills, somehow. 

Wilbur laughed, continuing to play the tune on his guitar. Tubbo was humming the song and suddenly words were uncertainly falling out of his mouth.

"On the... wind. Across the..." he began, and everyone in the room looked at him in surprise. Wilbur intentionally slowed down the tune, jumping back to let the boy repeat the words. 

"On the wind, cross the-" Tubbo stopped, looking puzzled. "-Sea?" Techno interjected, and Tubbo's eyes lit up. "Yes!"

"Tubbo, you're remembering!" Wilbur cackled with glee, replaying the tune again. "Can you remember more?"

They swapped partners, and now Tubbo was dancing with Techno and Tommy was dancing with Phil. Tubbo tried to follow Techno's movements, while poor Phil was just getting spun in a circle by Tommy, the blonde thinking that this was how you were supposed to do it. 

"Hear this song and... remember?" Tubbo murmured, slowly feeling more confident as the words came flooding to him. "Soon you'll be... home with me, once upon a December..." Tubbo laughed as Techno pulled him in before twirling him around.

Something inside of him clicked when he was twirled. He stopped dancing, looking over at Phil. 

"My dad..." he murmured. "He... He would twirl me when we sang the song."

An excited shout left Philza's lips. Hell, he nearly cried tears of joy. He moved over to Tubbo, scooping him up and spinning him around in the air before setting him down again. "Tubbo, you... you're slowly getting your memory back!" he laughed, and Tubbo beamed happily, before suddenly looking down. He hugged Philza, melting into his arms. 

"What... happened to my dad?" he asked, voice cracking as he sniffled.

"I don't know, kid. We're going to find out though, okay?" the older male voiced, smiling. He extended his pinky to the smaller boy. "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise." Tubbo repeated, linking their pinkies and shaking on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe the next chapter will feature them all as kids too. They'll just be like, slowly working on getting Tubbo's memories back <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo is filled with motivation to find his father. He begins to investigate more deeply into what happened that night.

Tubbo laid in bed, staring at his compass. He did this often - staring deep into the small item, begging it to tell him its hidden secrets. All he knew about this compass was that his father had given it to him, and that the tune the music box inside played was a lullaby he and his father used to sing together. Images of him as a child laying in bed flashed in his head, an older man kneeling beside the bed. Tubbo reached out to the memory which came back to him every so often. The man beside him he could only assume was his father. The man's face was blurry, and no matter how hard Tubbo tried, he couldn't make it out.

He stood up, winding up the music box necklace, letting it play. "On the wind, across the sea, hear this song and remember... Soon, you'll be home with me, once upon a December..." the male murmured the lyrics over and over again. Hear the song and remember... Remember what? 

"Together in Paris." he stated, looking out the window. "Maybe my father is in Paris. Do I need to go there to find him?"

He debated on the idea heavily over the next few hours. He hopped on his computer, spending long periods of time researching the city. Even if he did go to Paris, how would he locate his father once he was there? The city was huge, and it was unlikely he would just stumble across his father on the street on accident. What if his father wasn't even there, and he wasted all that time travelling there? He'd just build up his hopes only to leave empty handed. 

He sighed, shutting off the computer. It would definitely be possible. The thought of even possibly being able to have his father back got him excited. He decided to head down the stairs, spotting Philza. 

"Phil!" he chirped, and the older man looked at him with a smile. 

"Hello, Tubbo." he hummed.

"I want to go to Paris." he stated, and this caused Phil to spit out his drink, followed by the sound of Techno coughing in surprise from the couch. 

"You-" Phil began, confused, "-Why?"

"Because. Paris is the only key I have right now to finding my father. He's out there somewhere, Phil. I have to find him." Tubbo explained, crossing his arms and glancing down.

There was a moment of silence before Tubbo felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He glanced up, meeting Phil's eyes as he leaned down to his height. "You do what you think is best, Tubbo. We'll be right beside you the whole way."

Tubbo smiled, and embraced his adopted father in a tight hug. "Thank you so much," he breathed, closing his eyes.

"No problem, kiddo." Phil replied, rubbing his back.

When they let go, Tubbo noticed Techno standing there. The Piglin surveyed him for a few moments before meeting his eyes. "If you want to travel all the way to Paris, then you need to be prepared. You need fighting lessons before you go anywhere... I can help with that."

Tubbo smiled brighter again, happy that his family was on board with the idea. "Thanks Techno!" he cheered, and embraced the older man in a tight hug before he could object. Techno's eyes widened, and he let out a surprised grunt, stiffening under Tubbo's grasp. After a minute he slowly lowered his arms, wrapping them awkwardly around Tubbo's shoulders. "...No problem." he replied, the corners of his lips twitching into the slightest hint of a smile. 

"Well, let's get to it." Techno hummed after Tubbo let go, and he grabbed a stone sword off the wall, tossing it to Tubbo, who caught it. Phil smiled as he watched the two boys head outside, the Piglin already going off on safety when using swords as if Tubbo were some complete beginner.

* * *

Tubbo and Techno were standing outside the house in an open field, weapons in hand. Techno walked him through basic sparring tips, beginning with his posture.

"Keep your back straight, and eyes on your enemy. Don't look away, that gives them the advantage of surprise as they can attack you while you're distracted."

"Also, keep your feet spread apart."

"Why?" asked Tubbo, which was immediately followed by Techno kicking his legs out from under him, easily sending him to the floor. The older male put a heeled boot on his chest, planting his sword in the ground beside the boy's head. _"That's why."_ Techno replied, smirking. He stepped back, extending his hand to help pull Tubbo to his feet.

"Alright, got it."

Techno backed up, holding his sword defensively. "Alright, now attack me. And don't hold back either. I'm going to play defence, so take note of what I do."

"Don't hold back? What if I hurt you?"

Techno just gave him an "are you stupid" look. "Tubbo, do you know how many people I have killed? You're not going to hurt me." he drawled lamely, laughing.

Tubbo rolled his eyes, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Oh, right."

Giving no warning, Tubbo ran at Techno. He pulled his sword back, swinging at his right side. Techno was way ahead of him, and blocked the hit with his own sword, pushing back to make the smaller boy stumble backwards. "Keep your feet apart, it helps you to keep your balance." he corrected.

Tubbo nodded, spreading his feet apart before charging at Techno again. 

They spent the next few hours sparring, working hard on Tubbo's fighting skills. Tubbo backed up, charging at Techno one last time. He'd learned over the course of the past few hours that the pink haired male could observe his actions and predict what move he was going to make ahead of time. So to trick him, Tubbo moved his sword to his right side, eyes focused on Techno's side. As expected, Techno moved to protect that side. Last second before he landed the hit, he pushed off with one of his feet, jumping to the left before immediately throwing himself at Techno's exposed side. The older boy's eyes widened as he realized what Tubbo did, and he moved to face him, but he was too slow as the smaller boy collided with him, sending them both to the ground. 

Techno hit the ground with a nasty thump, Tubbo sitting on top of him. He quickly held his sword in front of the Piglin's throat, grinning down at him. "Got you!" he cheered, out of breath from the many hours of sparring they had been doing. Techno blinked, surprised that the child had actually managed to get him on the ground.

"You got me." Techno chuckled, looking up at Tubbo. "You forgot one thing though."

"What's that?" Tubbo asked, looking confused.

In one swift movement, Techno's hand shot up, smacking the sword out of his hand. He then grabbed onto Tubbo's shoulders, easily rolling them so now Techno was on top of the smaller boy, pinning this arms to the ground. "Never lower your guard, and restrain your enemy's hands."

Tubbo gasped, glaring up at Techno as he struggled beneath the smug-looking male. "No fair! I won that one!" he grunted, and Techno finally let him go, standing up and helping Tubbo to his feet.

"Sure you did." Techno mused, and the two brothers laughed together as they made their way back to the house, where Philza was waiting with a lovely meal ready as a reward for their hard work.


	4. A Hidden Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A close friend of Tubbo's finally comes forward, revealing something they observed that terrible night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BadBoyHalo makes an appearance :D

It wasn't long before others in L'Manburg caught wind of Tubbo's plan to find his father. That was also when they got a surprise visit from their friend, Bad. 

"Tubbo!" the teen heard Phil call from downstairs. He stood up, heading down the stairs to meet his adopted father at the door, stopping mid-sentence when he saw none other than Bad there with Phil, "What do you ne- Bad? What are you doing here?"

"Hi Tubbo." the older male hummed, moving over to pat his head with a smile. "I actually came to share something with you guys... I figured it might be useful on your mission to find your dad."

Tubbo blinked. Something that could help him find his dad? He was curious, so he beckoned the older male to sit on the couch with him. Philza joined him at his side, noticing how nervous the teen was. So he would sit there quietly with the boy while he listened to provide moral support.

Bad rubbed his arm, clasping his hands together anxiously as he began telling the story. 

* * *

_Bad had been sitting in his home. It was late at night, around 11 pm. He had been working on crafting more weapons when he heard the ruckus outside._

_He went to the window, peeking outside just in time to see the shadow of a man run by, his hand holding onto a child's hand as they ran. He stepped outside, taking note of their haste to get away. Then he glanced down the street, spotting guards chasing the pair. They were easily gaining on them._

_Bad didn't necessarily understand the situation, but knew how Dream didn't like strangers in the city. So he assumed they were just two travellers. Normally he wouldn't have done anything, but he didn't think it was fair for the child to have to witness his father be arrested._

_When the guards drew closer, he stepped out in their path, raising his hands to try to stop them. This just turned out to be a really stupid idea, as one of the horses the guards were riding reared up on its hind legs in surprise, nearly throwing off its rider. Bad let out a startled shout, stumbling backwards to avoid getting trampled by the horse's feet. This was also another unfortunate move, as another horse came up, colliding with him this time. He yelped, head hitting the ground as he was thrown by the horse._

_There were curses from the guards, followed by people dismounting their horses to make sure the male on the ground was okay. Bad glanced up, vision blurry. He did see though that the boy and his father had successfully made it to the forest. He smiled, falling unconscious from the hit to his head._

_When he woke up, he was in the local medical clinic. Dream was standing by the end of his bed, staring at him, clearly had been waiting for him to wake up._

_"Hey, Dream." he slurred, still half-asleep._

_The other was silent for a few minutes, giving Bad the chance to properly stretch and wake up. He winced, his shoulder aching. He slid a hand under his shirt, feeling the bandages that were wrapped around his upper arm. He also ran a hand through his hair, noticing he had bandages around his head. "What happened?" he quizzed, confused as he wasn't able to immediately recall the events of the night before._

_"My men told me you jumped in front of them to stop them from pursuing a pair of intruders. They got away because of your actions." Dream explained, cold eyes staring down at the male in the bed._

_Ah, there it was. Memories of the night before came flooding back to him._

_"Dream, the man had a child with him. They were obviously just travellers passing through or taking a rest. Is that such a big deal?" he challenged the man, straightening up and staring back at Dream._

_"They could have stolen stuff-" Dream began, but was interrupted by Bad._

_"-Did they actually, though? Probably not. Instead, you chose to drive them away when it was thundering and raining hard outside. What if something happened to them? Have some compassion, Dream!" he snapped, beginning to get riled up. Dream looked like he debated on snapping back at the male, but then decided to bite his tongue, silently leaving the room. If he stayed, he would only get even more angry at Bad._

_Bad accepted his departure as him winning the argument, grinning momentarily to himself after the leader was gone. His lack of a reply meant that Dream knew there was some truth in his words, and instead of admitting defeat, he'd rather just leave. Bad has known Dream long enough by now to know his personality habits fairly well._

* * *

"A few days after I heard from a few people that Philza had found a boy in the forest, and took him under his wing-" Bad glanced at Phil, nudging the man with a grin. "-get it, wing? Well anyway, I never really thought too much about how the events could have been related. Phil had adopted three children already, so it wasn't really a new, huge thing. But... the more I think about it, the more sense it makes that those two people could have been you and your father, Tubbo."

Tubbo sat in silence, struggling to take the huge news in. Bad's explanation brought up hidden memories and flashes from his past - hiding in a dirt shack, holding someone's hand as they ran as fast as they could - the sound of the terrifying thunder and lightning crashing above them. He shook, hands running through his hair as he let out a shaky sigh, squeezing his eyes shut. "Fuck."

For once, Bad didn't scold him for cursing. He remained quiet, knowing this was huge news for the orphaned boy. 

Tubbo stood up, pacing over to the window and looking outside. "So... What you're saying is, Dream might know something." he stated, hearing a solid 'mhm' come from where Bad was sitting on the couch. 

"Tubbo - we can go talk to him, if you'd like." Phil inputted, tone gentle.

Suddenly, he was being pulled into a tight hug. Tubbo looked up, realizing his eyes were blurry and his cheeks were wet from tears. He was crying? "It's okay, Tubbo."

"I'm- I'm so scared, Phil. I'm scared to investigate this deeper. What if my father hates me? What if he's not the great person I thought he'd be? What if he left me behind on purpose to get rid of me? What if-" Tubbo was caught off as he was pulled back into the hug, tighter this time. He buried his face into Phil's chest, sobbing. Years of worries and frustrations that had built up came pouring out.

"It's going to be okay." Phil murmured, petting his hair, bringing comfort to the younger boy. Tubbo sniffled, wiping his eyes before he looked back at Bad, who's eyes were filled with sympathy. 

"Er, Bad, you're good friends with Dream. Do you know where he is right now?" Tubbo asked, sniffling as he stopped crying.

"Yes, I believe he's at his house. Do you want me to take you there?"

"Yes, please."


	5. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo goes to talk to Dream about what happened the night his father disappeared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream's design in this fic is inspired by SAD-ist's design of him! <3 This chapter also has more in-person memory counts of memories, similar to Bad's experience of the night Tubbo lost his dad. Figured that style was more interesting than dialogue of them talking about it, haha. Enjoy!

Tubbo walked with Bad, approaching the path that led up to Dream's house. They had decided that it was probably best if Tubbo spoke to Dream alone, while Philza remained at home. Bad was merely acting as his escort.

They stopped at the foot of the path, and Tubbo glanced at the large, intimidating house before them. He took a deep, shaky breath, and Bad gently patted his back. 

"You can do this, Tubbo." he encouraged, and with that, Tubbo nodded, heading up the steps to the front door. He glanced back at Bad, who waved, before turning and walking away.

Tubbo breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm his nerves. He wrung his sweater's sleeve in his hands, biting his lip as he stared at the door. Was he ready for this?

Never mind that, he was already here, and Bad had been kind enough to walk across the entire town with him to deliver him here. There was no backing out now.

_Knock._

_Knock._

_Knock._

He sat in quiet anticipation, rocking on the heels of his feet nervously. He almost zoned out in thought, eventually snapping back to reality as the door opened, and before him now stood a casually-dressed Dream, who wore his mask along with a regular green hoodie and a pair of sweat pants. 

"Oh, Tubbo. Hello. What brings you here?" he asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. It was unusual for him to get visitors other than his close friends like Sapnap, Bad or George.

"Oh- uh-" he stammered, suddenly realizing he had no idea what to say. Starting off with a _'Hi, Bad says you attacked my father, spill the tea please'_ wasn't a good way to start the conversation. Dream simply waited in silence.

"-uhm, I wanted to talk with you. If that was okay. May I come in?" he finally spoke, attempting to shake off his nerves by wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs.

Dream took note of his nervous demeanour, and nodded, stepping out of the way so the teen could enter the house. 

"Would you like anything to drink? You can have a seat on the couch," he explained, gesturing to the sofa as Tubbo took off his shoes, leaving them at the door.

"Ah, water would be nice, thanks." the teen smiled weakly, stepping over to the couch and anxiously sitting down on the edge of it. 

It wasn't long before Dream joined him, handing him a glass of water before sitting down on the sofa opposite of the one he was sitting on, a coffee table in between them. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, you might have heard that I plan on searching for my real dad, right?" Tubbo began, and once he simply got a nod from Dream, he continued. "I spoke to Bad and he told me that you might know something about what happened the night before Phil found me." 

Dream was silent, noticeably thinking, before he let out a sigh. "Yes... I remember that night." he spoke softly, his eyes briefly meeting Tubbo's. They both knew very well what this conversation held. 

"Bad says you and your men were chasing somebody. A man and a child." Tubbo spoke, swallowing nervously, hoping his next accusation wasn't weird. "Well... We have a theory that man and child was me and my father. I... thought I would come talk to you to learn more about what happened that night to see if it will help me remember anything."

Dream inhaled, rubbing his face under his mask before glancing at Tubbo. "I always had that theory. That perhaps you were the child I saw. I have regrets about that night, Tubbo. I really do. Bad certainly gave me a talking to." he explained, chuckling humourlessly.

What surprised Tubbo was how Dream slid off his mask, setting it on the couch beside him as he made eye contact with Tubbo. The male's eyes were a striking emerald-green, and he had freckles spread across his cheeks. Most noticeably, there was a scar running across his nose, between his eyes.

"I was young and dumb, and had my head buried in trying to do what was best for my kingdom. I thought that included driving strangers out, no excuses." he sighed, beginning to dive into retelling the events of that night.

* * *

_Dream had been doing his usual rounds in the city when he noticed the father and son walking cautiously down the paths. He remained in the shadows, observing them. The young boy seemed oblivious to the danger they were in, while the father appeared to be more on edge. He decided to play it safe at first, hanging back as he watched them. Maybe they would leave on their own accord and he wouldn't have to do anything about it._

_Those thoughts flew out the window as he saw the father build a small, dirt shack, shoving his son inside. It was hard to hear anything over the hard rain, but he did manage to hear something along the lines of "Stay here, I'm going to find food."_

_But all the shops were closed at this time of night, most people were sleeping. Dream easily concluded that the man was going to steal, and he frowned. He continued following the man, deciding that the child in the dirt shack wasn't too much of a concern._

_They walked for a few minutes, the stranger growing increasingly nervous. Dream wondered if he knew he was being followed. They stopped by a food stand, where there were a few apples and similar on display. That was when Dream stepped out of the shadows, drawing his sword. This startled the goat-man, and he jumped, staring at Dream with wide eyes._

_"What are you doing here," Dream growled, drawing closer, holding the sword threateningly._

_"Sorry - I uh - I was just making a pit stop here for food! I was hoping to take shelter from the rain before I left again on my travels..." the man stammered. Huh, no mention of his son. He figured it was so his son wouldn't get pulled into the mess if Dream arrested him._

_"You know very well you're not supposed to be here." he grunted, and suddenly the goat man threw the apple he had been holding at him, colliding with his mask. Dream flinched in surprise, rubbing his face, growing angry. He also noticed now the man had taken off running. Great, just what he wanted to do tonight. He pulled out his communicator, speaking into it. "I need guards to help me out, we have an intruder on the West side by the bakery" he explained, not having to wait long before he heard a small chorus of "On it"s back._

_Pocketing the device, he took off running after the fleeing male. Water splashed around him when he stepped in puddles, soaking him even more than he was before. Not like he cared anyway, this rain made it so he would have to change after his shift either way._

* * *

Dream stared at Tubbo for a few moments, eyeing the horns growing on his head. Not as large as the adult male's horns had been, but they still resembled them quite a bit. "You look a lot like him." he murmured softly, hands folded together. He decided to start talking about what the boy's father had looked like - knowing fully well he probably has no idea what the male looks like.

"Your father had brown hair. He had these goat horns on his head, which grew back and curled around his ears. They kind of look like your horns, just larger." he hummed. "...He also had the same passion and drive as you do." he added, chuckling.

Tubbo was silent, trying to absorb all the information given to him. He'd just heard a lot more information about his father - from a perspective he hadn't heard before. Flashes of memories came to him, and slowly he started to connect the dots.

"I remember... running while holding someone's hand - I assume that was my dad's hand. We were in the forest. We were running away from the people who were chasing us... I asked about food, but my dad told me he wasn't able to get any." Tubbo recited, standing up and beginning to pace the room, pausing to glance out the window. Dream remained on the couch, watching him.

"We were running after a train... He got on, but the train was going too fast. He accidentally let go of my hand and I fell. That was the last thing I remember. Hitting the cold, wet ground - hearing yelling - and then I blacked out."

Tubbo didn't realize he was shaking, hands trembling as he ran them through his hair. Part of him wanted to be angry with Dream. He had every right to be. The man made him lose his father for fuck's sake.

But on the other hand, had none of that happened, Tubbo wouldn't have met all the amazing people he knows now. He wouldn't have met Tommy, or Techno, Wilbur, or Philza. How would his life be different if he made it onto that train? 

He sunk to the ground, kneeling on the soft carpet. There was a soft pitter patter of footsteps as Dream approached him, kneeling down beside him and pulling him into a hug. Tubbo didn't cry. No, he couldn't cry in front of Dream. That would be a sign of weakness.

"I'm sorry, Tubbo. I was a terrible leader in the past, but I'm working now to be better. I realize how fucked up my actions were, and I don't expect you to forgive me in the slightest. I made you lose your father, and I take full blame for that. All I can do now is be here to support you on this journey you're going to make." 

"Thank you, Dream. For telling me this." Tubbo sighed, remaining in the hug for a few seconds before he leaned back. Dream helped him to his feet.

"When the time comes for you and whoever else is going with you to leave, come by for a short visit before you go. I'll make sure you guys are stocked up in regards to food and gear. It's the least I can do."

Tubbo looked at Dream in surprise. He would supply them with gear? He searched Dream's face for any hint of the man lying, unable to find any hints. "Full netherite, you guys are going to be unbeatable." the older man added with a smile, giving Tubbo a pat on his back.

"Wow that's... That's awesome, Dream! Thank you so much." he gasped, surprising the man with a hug. Dream laughed, wrapping his arms around the boy, rubbing his back. 

"It's no worries. If you ever need anything, like help or whatever, don't hesitate to reach out to me." Dream told him as they headed towards the door. 

"Great, I will. Thanks, Dream. I'll see you around." Tubbo waved, stepping out the door as he said his goodbyes. The door was shut behind him, and it took every impulse within Tubbo to stop himself from whooping and fist-pumping the air right on Dream's doorstep. He skipped down the hairs with excitement, antsy to get back to the cabin to tell Philza about what he learned. 


	6. Little Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before they leave for Paris, the gang decides to do some research to see if they can pin-point anyone in Paris who could possibly be Tubbo's father. To their surprise, they find a well-matching result.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was a little delayed! I had to actually pause for a bit in writing because I needed to actually plan out the rest of the story instead of plotting as I go LMAO so updates will be more regular again now that I have a specific plot and ending in mind.
> 
> A bit of info: In this AU, I'm making it so the cities are basically all different SMP's. Just to make it so the plot makes a bit more sense. Just for plot purposes, I'm going to have the Dream SMP be located around Saint Petersburg.
> 
> Also, in this let's say Schlatt is around 36ish years old, just so Tubbo actually being his son is realistic, age-wise.

The family were on their own computers, chatting with each other through a discord call. They all were putting an effort into googling different citizens of Paris who may be Tubbo's father, just so when they get to Paris, they have some idea of where to start.

Small conversation was held while they googled, the team having compiled a list of 4-5 names so far. Tubbo was slowly losing hope, knowing that the names they had come up with so far were very unlikely to be his father. It wasn't until he heard an "Oh fuck! Guys, come here!" from Tommy that Tubbo's heart leapt excitedly in his chest. 

The other members of the family all jumped off their computers, immediately piling into Tommy's room to surround him and his computer. "What about this guy?"

On the screen, there was an enlarged photo of a tan-skinned man with brown hair. He had large horns, similar to Tubbo's horns, that curled around the back of his head. Under the photo it stated the name "J. Schlatt". The man radiated an aura of power from the suit he wore, along with how he appeared to be sitting on a... throne?

Tubbo was silent, busy observing every little detail about the man. Imagining this man as his father. It was hard to do, the man kind of looked like he had a cold personality.

"He's the king of the Paris SMP," Tommy explained, clicking out of the photo to look at a wikipedia page that was written about the man. "Says he's 36 years old. I know it's far-fetched considering his position, but look at this!" 

The blonde boy excitedly scrolled in, highlighting a specific part of the man's backstory. "It claims that he had a son named Toby, who went missing about 8 years ago. That would make the child 8. You were 8 when we found you, Tubbo!" 

Tommy jumped up and down excitedly, smiling from ear-to-ear. It was true, this backstory really did fit Tubbo. And the name Toby isn't too far off from Tubbo. Tubbo could have been a nickname, couldn't it? Though, Tubbo couldn't possibly imagine himself being called Toby. 

"It... does make sense." voiced Phil, leaning over Tommy as he took the mouse, reading more about the man named Schlatt. Tubbo was simply lost in his own thoughts, still staring at the photo of the man. If this was his father, that made him a _Prince_ , didn't it? Of fucking _Paris_?

"You good there, Tubbo?" Wilbur asked, peering at him and putting a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "You look a little lost."

"Yeah- I- I am. It's just a lot to process." Tubbo murmured, rubbing his face as he walked over to the window, looking outside before turning back to his family, letting out a nervous laugh. "Like, holy shit. I could be royalty? The fuck? What else does it say, Phil? Would I have siblings?"

Phil hummed as he scrolled, eventually shaking his head. "No, it looks like you- or the kid, was the only child Schlatt has ever had."

Tubbo sat down on Tommy's bed, and the blonde came over, pulling him into a hug. "This is the best lead we have so far. It's amazing!" he exclaimed. "Imagine all the _clout_ I could get, Tubbo. I could go around telling people I'm friends with _T u b b o!_ I don't need George for the clout anymore," which caused everyone to break off into uncontrollable laughter. 

Once they calmed down and fell into a comfortable silence again, Tubbo was the first to break it. "So... what do we do now?"

Phil stood up from the computer, stretching his arms as he held out a hand to Tubbo, who accepted the hand. Phil pulled him to his feet, pulling him into a tight hug. "We pack our bags." he announced, ruffling Tubbo's hair. 

Tubbo's eyes widened, and his head shot up to look at Phil. "-we?"

"Of course. It's a long journey to get to Paris, and I'm sure as hell not going to let you make it alone. We're all with you, Tubbo." Phil told him, smiling. 

Tubbo laughed, hugging Phil one more time. He was so relieved his family was going to help him. He honesty didn't think he'd be able to do it alone. "Thanks so much, dad." Tubbo murmured. Unseen by Tubbo, Phil's face broke out into a small, pained yet happy smile at the name 'dad'. Phil was Tubbo's "dad", who raised him the last 8 years, but he wasn't Tubbo's _dad._ It hurt to know he wouldn't hold that title much longer, but he pushed his emotions away. 

"Anytime, kiddo." he hummed, petting Tubbo's head, running his fingers through his hair. 

* * *

_**Several days later** _

_**Location: Paris** _

A male walked through the empty halls of the small castle. He was the king's right-hand man, and also the next heir to the throne considering King Schlatt had no "alive" children. He had tan skin, black hair, and wore his usual blue beanie on his head. Most people addressed him by the name Quackity - or 'Big Q' for his closest friends. One of the main reasons that Schlatt had designated him as the next heir to the throne was because 1. Quackity was his closest friend, and 2. Quackity was powerful - he had a wide knowledge about everything magic, alchemy, and spells. Having a powerful and intelligent man like him rule the kingdom was wise.

In his hands, he held a bunch of mail addressed to Schlatt. His job was to open and sort through the King's mail, so Schlatt himself didn't have to bother looking at the unimportant stuff. Quackity entered his study, sitting down at his desk as he began sorting through the mail. Most of it he could tell was junk even before opening it, so they went straight into the garbage.

One specific letter caught his eye, however. He paused, reading the hand-written print on the front. It was from someone named Tubbo - no last name? and addressed to Schlatt himself. But what he noticed was that it came from another SMP. It wasn't often the king received mail from residents from other SMPs. Quackity chuckled to himself as he opened the letter curiously. It was probably more cringy fan-mail. Schlatt seemed to receive a lot of love-letters.

Quackity's eyes skimmed over the letter's contents. It was about half a page of writing. The more he read into the letter, the more his face dropped, growing grim. Some 16 year old was over here, saying he has reason to strongly believe that he is Schlatt's missing son. They received a lot of these. However, the boy's story seemed to line up with the story of how Schlatt lost his son pretty dang well. Almost too well - the letter contained information that Schlatt hadn't shared with the public. Like the exact night Schlatt lost Toby, and even included how it happened, mentioning they were fleeing the Dream SMP and Toby failed to make it onto the train with his father. 

He let out a dark chuckle, glaring down at the paper. In his hands, he held a letter from someone who was very likely to be Schlatt's son. Who would return to the kingdom and take his rightful place as Prince.

 _"That's going to be a problem."_ he hummed to himself, and without hesitating, tore the letter to shreds, depositing the shreds into his trash can. "I'm afraid our _little Prince_ can't come home." he spoke darkly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddd now the plot is rolling! Things are only going to get more exciting from here on out, especially now that our antagonist has been introduced >:) Feel free to comment your thoughts or theories on the book so far! I love hearing what people think about my works <3


	7. Learn To Do It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo and his family set off on their long journey to find his father.

It had been a couple weeks since they started to focus on Schlatt specifically. Tubbo had sent a few letters to the castle, though unfortunately, they never heard back from Schlatt. He hoped that they just somehow missed his letters, and it wasn't because they were upright ignoring him.

The last letter he sent had included that they were going to leave Dream SMP soon to travel to Paris to meet with the king. Tubbo was a bundle of nerves as he sealed the letter delicately, giving it to the postman to deliver. 

Now, he stood in front of their house with Techno, Tommy, Wilbur, and Phil. They were all packed up, each of them carrying a backpack that held only the most essential items for the travel. They had a lot of walking to do, so they didn't want to pack too much. So they settled for a few blankets, food items, weapons, and so on. They had visited Dream the other day, who stocked them up really well with supplies. They all held new, netherite swords in their holsters. 

"Ready, Tubbo?" Phil asked him, giving him a pat on the back. Tubbo nodded, putting a confident smile on his face.

"Yes, let's go!" he cheered, and they turned, heading off deeper into the woods.

* * *

The walk had been silent so far for the most part. They were travelling down the railroad tracks, Tommy and Tubbo walking side-by-side in the front of the group, the other three trailing behind them. Wilbur had his phone out as they walked, busy doing more research on Schlatt. 

It wasn't long before Wilbur caught up to the two boys in front, stepping beside Tubbo and giving him a mock-bow. "Are you ready for your first lesson, your highness?" he asked jokingly, causing Tubbo to playfully hit him over the head, cheeks turning red from the glorified title. 

"Lesson?" he asked uncertainly, raising an eyebrow at the brown-haired boy, who merely gave him a sly smile.

"If you're going to be a prince, then you need to learn to act like one! You gotta be convincing, man." Wilbur explained. 

Tubbo halted in his steps, eyes going wide. "Hold on- you never told me I would have to _convince_ Schlatt that I'm his son!"

"Well yeah- He isn't going to just take one look at you and go 'yup, this is my son that has been missing for 8 years.'" drawled Techno with a chuckle. 

Tubbo stressfully ran a hand through his hair. He was nothing like a prince. "How on earth am I supposed to convince him that I'm his son? I can't even remember anything! He'll just look at me and see a dumb, lost child who has no idea who he is-" he breathed, squeezing his eyes shut. "Hell, I don't even know if I am his son. What if I'm not? And we had travelled all the way there for nothing!" 

Tubbo was stopped in his ramblings when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Tubbo. You'll be fine. Your story lines up so well with Prince Toby's story, there's no way you aren't him! You have nothing to worry about." Phil told him, and Tubbo sighed as he began to calm down.

"That's where my prince-ly lessons come in! I will teach you all about the ways of royalty!" Wilbur chirped, laughing. 

"What do you know about royalty, Wilbur?" Techno inputted, chuckling humorously. 

"Lots of things. Like how all royal people know how to ride horses! So Tubbo, want to take me up on that offer?" Wilbur asked again, extending a hand to the younger boy with an excited grin.

Tubbo laughed, accepting the hand. Immediately, Wilbur was pulling him off the tracks. "Come on, this way! There's a village near here that has horses. Walking is lame, anyway. We can teach you how to ride a horse!"

* * *

About half-an-hour had gone by, and now Tubbo was surprised to find himself seated on the back of a white horse. He nervously gripped the saddle, worried that he would fall off. After all, he was really high up off the ground. "I'm gonna fall!" he exclaimed, biting his lip, knuckles turning white with how hard he was holding the saddle.

Phil laughed, maneuvering his own horse so he was next to the fearful boy. He reached over, touching Tubbo's arm. "You're not going to fall, relax. You're more likely to fall off if you sit frozen like that." he explained, and moved the boy's hands so they were holding the reins. "Hold those in your hands loosely, now do this-" he demonstrated, giving a gentle tug on the ropes which got the horse moving. Tubbo mirrored his actions, letting out a yelp when the horse moved forward, now walking down the path. He laughed, both excited and fearful at the same time. "I'm doing it!" 

"See? It's not that hard." voiced Wilbur, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he passed. Tubbo watched how Wilbur made his horse trot faster, and Tubbo wanted to make his do that too. He fiddled with the reins, giving them a gentle tug. As if on command, the horse picked up its speed, and Tubbo laughed, catching up to Wilbur. He reached over to the boy, snatching the beanie off his head as he passed him. 

"Hey!" Wilbur complained, lurching out to try to grab it back. Unfortunately, this caused the boy to lose his balance, accidentally sliding off the horse and falling on the ground. Tubbo and Tommy laughed at his foolishness, while Techno and Phil merely shook their heads, Phil smiling. "Boys, calm down." Phil commanded as Wilbur got up, dusting himself off. Tubbo chuckled, tossing his hat back at him, which Wilbur caught with ease, putting it on, before he climbed back up on his horse. 

They spent the next few minutes walking at a steady pace down the forest path. "What do you think of speeding up, Tubbo? Confident enough yet? If we speed up, we'll get to the next city faster." Techno asked him, and Tubbo nodded. Techno reached over to his horse, mumbling soft words to him as he directed him on how to make his horse pick up speed. Tubbo mirrored his actions, laughing as his horse broke out into a run. "Woah!" he exclaimed, leaning down a bit to help keep his balance on the bouncing horse. His family also picked up their speeds behind him, and it wasn't long before they left the forest, their horses now running across the meadow. 

"So Tubbo, do you like horseback riding?" asked Tommy, who was smiling happily. 

"I do. It's almost familiar in a way... like I've done this before." Tubbo mentioned, scratching his head. "Phil, you've never taken me horseback riding, have you?"

"No, I haven't. You could be remembering a time when your father took you horseback riding, though!" he explained, a smile gracing his features. 

"Sir Tubbo is remembering!" cheered Tommy, which caused the others to laugh.

"No- Don't call me Sir, that's weird." Tubbo wheezed, laughing as he glanced over at the blonde boy. 

"Sure thing, your highness." Tommy joked, making sure that he held direct eye contact with the shorter boy as he spoke. Tubbo merely glared at him, sticking his tongue out. 

It wasn't long before the group made it to another village. It was about an hour before the sun would set. 

"We should rest here for the night. I know it's still light out, but I'd rather stop early than wait too long and not be able to find proper shelter when the mobs come out." Phil announced, and they all got off their horses, taking the leads and walking down the village trail. They passed a few houses before they found a spot where they could tie their horses.

They walked away from the horses, down the street to check into a small hotel where they could spend the night. None of the boys bothered to look at their horses, but if they did, they might have noticed an unfamiliar man standing there, glaring down at the group. He stood there until they disappeared into the building. He turned to the horses, untying the reins and dropping them. With a small smack on the back, he sent the horses running off into the night. 

The man grinned to himself, tucking his hands into his pockets as he walked away innocently. "Whoops, my hand must have slipped! Looks like poor little Toby and his friends won't be using their horses tomorrow to catch their boat ride."

Quackity was determined to do everything in his power to stop the team from reaching Paris. If this didn't work, well, he'd just resort more... desperate measures. The male wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, that is. He merely laughed, disappearing into the shadows. 


	8. Royal History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their horses disappeared, the family decides to hitch a ride on a wagon to get to their next destination. In the mean time, they touch on learning the names of the different royals.

The next morning, Tubbo was woken up by Tommy, who was excitedly shaking his shoulder. "Tubbo, wake up, we're leaving soon!" he chirped, soon running off to get his things together. Tubbo yawned, dragging himself out of the bed and into the bathroom. He knew they had to get going soon, so he merely splashed some water in his face to wake himself up more. Drying his face off with the towel, he stretched, going back out into the village's hotel room that he shared with Tommy to pack his things. 

Not long after that, the group met in the hallway, and checked out of the hotel before walking to get their horses. Suddenly, Techno spoke up. "Uhh... guys? We have a problem."

The rest of the group glanced ahead of them at the fence where they tied their horses- only to realize the horses were nowhere to be seen. "Shit! Where did they go? We have a boat to catch in a couple hours." Phil groaned, looking around. 

"What if we just catch a ride there?" Wilbur spoke up, pointing to a villager who had two horses attached to a wagon. Phil perked up immediately, nodding. "Let's do that."

They approached the villager, and Phil spoke up. "Excuse me sir, if we paid you, do you think you could give us a lift? We're headed to Tallinn to catch a boat headed to Paris." 

"Tallinn, eh? I suppose I could take you there. I'll do it for 64 emeralds." the villager offered, and Phil nodded happily, pulling out a pouch of emeralds and handing it to the villager. They waited a few minutes while the villager counted out 64 emeralds, before nodding happily from the big purchase. "Alright, go ahead and hop in the back! Sorry there's quite a bit of hay back there."

Phil thanked the villager, and the group went around behind the wagon, one by one jumping up and settling themselves down on the soft hay. At least they had a comfortable ride, considering they would be travelling for a few hours at least.

Not long after, the cart began to move. Tubbo leaned on the edge of the cart, watching the village slowly get smaller and smaller in his vision. His glaze glanced over at the forest, suddenly spotting a man standing among the trees. It was too far away to make out his features, but it was evident he was staring right at them. "Hey- do you guys see that guy over there?" asked Tubbo, glancing at his friends. But when he looked back, the man was gone. 

"What man? Tubbo, are you seeing shit?" Tommy laughed, punching his shoulder teasingly. 

"I don't know. I thought I saw a man staring at us from the forest. Could just have been my imagination though." Tubbo chuckled.

* * *

About an hour or two had passed, and Tubbo was laying on his back, staring up at the sky, watching the birds pass overhead. He was admittedly kind of bored. As if he could sense his son's boredom, Phil cleared his throat to break the silence. "How about we review the royal family? It would help for you to know their names, Tubbo." he suggested, pulling out a book. 

Tubbo glanced at him, raising an eyebrow at the book. "Why do you have a book about the Paris SMP on you?" he laughed, but sat up nonetheless, turning to face Phil. 

"Got it from the library before we left, figured it would come in handy." the blonde-haired man explained with a smile.

"Alright, start your teaching." Tubbo chuckled, shifting closer to Phil to look at the book.

"First, we have Callahan." Phil began, pointing to a photo of the male in the book. "He's the squire of Paris SMP. Right up there with Schlatt. The unique thing about him is that he's rumoured to be mute. No one has ever heard him speak." 

"How does a guy who can't talk hold such a high position?" Wilbur asked, laughing. 

Phil shrugged. "No clue. He's still a very powerful man, though." Phil flipped the page. 

"Next, we have Schlatt himself. Obviously you've read about him. He's the king." 

Tubbo took the book from Phil, gazing down at the photo on the page. This was a different photo than the one he'd seen online. In this photo, Schlatt was wearing a white dress shirt with black pants, a luxurious red cape clipped around his shoulders. He held a charming smile on his slips as he posed for the photo with a long, netherite sword in his hand. 

"I still can't believe I'm probably this guy's son." Tubbo murmured in awe. 

"Anything is possible." Phil chuckled, and flipped the page for him. 

Tubbo's eyes landed on the photo. The guy almost looked familiar. Almost like... the person he swore he saw standing in the forest. "Who is this?"

"This is Quackity. He's Schlatt's right-hand-man." Phil explained. "He's a powerful guy who uses spells and alchemy. He's currently the next in line for the throne, but if you turn out to be the Prince, then you will take his place."

Tubbo puzzled on the thought. "I'll take his place huh? What about his position? Don't you think he'll be upset if I return because that means he won't be the next king?"

"Relax, probably not. I'm sure he will be happy you're home. Schlatt has been terribly depressed since you disappeared, so it will probably lift the mood of the whole kingdom." Phil explained, patting his shoulder.

* * *

"DAMNIT!" a voice screeched from the woods, startling birds as they took off, flying out of the trees. Quackity stood on the edge of the woods, watching the wagon leave. He hoped losing their horses would deter them from continuing, but it appeared it didn't work. He growled, kicking a rock. "Damn kids... Looks like I'll just have to try harder. I wonder dear little Toby... can you swim?" he laughed, walking away into the undergrowth. 


	9. Learning to Waltz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo and his family arrive in Tallinn, where they board the boat that will take them to the city of Wismar. On their ride there, Tubbo learns how to properly dance with Tommy's help. [pls a reminder that this scene is strictly platonic istg]

Tubbo leaned against the window, yawning as his eyes blinked tiredly. Thanks to the villager's help, they managed to make it to Tallinn with a little bit of extra time to spare before they had to board the boat. They spent this free time exploring the city's downtown, dipping in and out of different shops. At one point, Philza had left the boys to explore, slipping into a clothing store for a few minutes. Which Tubbo found weird, it wasn't like Philza to go buy clothes, but he brushed it off. 

Him and his brothers found an arcade, where they spent around 15 minutes playing different games until Phil came back, tucking a plastic bag holding what appeared to be some articles of clothing into his bag. When Tubbo questioned what he bought, Phil merely smiled, telling him it was a surprise.

So now, the five males were sitting on a bus, riding it to the docks where they would board their boat. Tubbo was excited, he'd never been on a boat before. Not one that wasn't a tiny row-boat, at least. He sat next to Tommy on the bus. Techno and Wilbur sat next to each other while Phil remained standing due to lack of seats. Obviously, he didn't allow one of his boys to stand despite their objections.

"So, little Prince. Excited?" asked Tommy, who gently elbowed him with a chuckle. Tubbo's cheeks turned red from the nickname. "Don't call me that... I'm older than you!" he snorted, crossing his arms. "But yes, I am! A little nervous, too. I'm not sure what being on a boat for several days will be like."

"I'm sure you'll love it. It's not that bad once you get used to the rocking." Phil answered, a graceful smile on his lips as he watched the younger males. "Looks like this is our stop." he spoke, reaching over and pulling on the cord, which caused a bell to ring throughout the bus. The driver slowed to a halt, and the 5 males exited the bus. They paused to watch it drive off, before facing the large boat sitting at the docks.

"Woah! You didn't say it would be _huge_ , Phil!" Tubbo exclaimed in shock. 

"Haha. Well, yes, it's huge." he chuckled in response.

"What are we waiting for, bitches? Let's go!" Tommy shouted, and threw his backpack over his shoulder as he took off running towards the ramp.

"Wait up!" Tubbo laughed, running after his friend. They reached the bottom of the ramp, and paused while they waited for the other three to catch up, who took their time walking. 

"You guys are slow." Tommy pouted.

Phil shook his head, and handed the tickets out. They went up the ramp, each of them handing their ticket to the staff at the top before looking around. "Where first?" Tubbo asked, amazed and overwhelmed. 

"Let's hit our rooms first to drop our stuff off. Then we can explore the deck," Phil suggested. They all nodded energetically, heading off to the rooms of the ship.

* * *

Tommy and Tubbo leaned on the edge of the boat, overlooking the water. Wilbur and Techno were off somewhere else, likely investigating what the boat had to offer. It was a very elegant cruise ship, after all. There was quite a bit to do and explore, and they would be on the ship for at least a few days.

Phil cleared his throat as he approached, drawing the boy's attention to him. In his hands, he held a set of clothes, presenting them to Tubbo. The teen raised an eyebrow, accepting the clothes and stretching them out to look at them. "Fancy clothes?" he asked curiously. It was a white dress-shirt with a pair of black pants. 

"Yes, Schlatt is having a ball around the time we will be arriving in Paris. That will be our opportunity to meet with him. You need to look nice, go try them on!" Phil explained, quickly ushering him off before he could complain. Tubbo just shrugged, taking the clothes with him back to his room to put them on.

Tubbo didn't take long to change, slipping into the brand new clothes with ease. He stood in front of the mirror, gazing at his figure curiously. "It looks weird... maybe I tuck it in?" he voiced his thoughts, deciding to tuck the white shirt into his pants as he has seen others do. Ah yes, that looked a lot better. Less baggy. He grinned at himself in the mirror, striking a pose. He looked so stylish and he loved it.

He left his room, walking back up to the deck. He approached Phil and Tommy, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "Do I look good?" he asked hopefully.

Tommy turned, spotting him first. He ran over excitedly, pulling the smaller boy into a tight hug before giving him a friendly slap on the back. "Dude! You look great. Gonna make all the women fall head over heels for you." he exclaimed. Tubbo laughed, rolling his eyes.

"You look amazing, Tubbo! Now you are dressed for a ball, and you will learn to dance for one as well." Phil hummed, grabbing onto Tubbo's shoulders and moving him so he stood in front of Tommy. 

"Hold on Big Man, I can't dance that well-" Tommy immediately tried to complain, but Phil hushed him. "I know Techno has taught you how to dance, you're fine." 

Tommy stuck his tongue out at Phil before turning his attention to Tubbo, who was rocking back and forth on his feet both excitedly and nervously. "I don't really know how to dance at all..." he chuckled.

"That's fine, that is why we'll teach you." Phil told him, giving him a pat on his shoulder. He took Tubbo's hand, moving it to Tommy's shoulder. Tommy, in turn, placed one of his hands on Tubbo's waist. Then they held their free hands together. 

"And... one, two, three. One, two three." Phil hummed to set the pace as they began moving, Tubbo foolishly attempting to follow Tommy's movements. It took a few minutes of Tubbo accidentally stepping on Tommy's feet before he got the hang of it, the two friends moving and twirling around the boat with ease as they grew more comfortable with the dance. Phil stepped back and sat down, admiring his two sons as they danced together. Soon though, his smile turned to that of a frown as a realization plagued his mind. Soon, Tubbo would be back with his father... and they would have to leave to return home. 

"Its one, two, three, and suddenly I see it at a glance: he's radiant, and confident, and born to take this chance..." Phil murmured to himself, gripping the edges of the crate he sat on tightly, "I raised him well. I planned it all. I just forgot... friendship." 

Tubbo and Tommy gazed into each other's eyes as they danced, twirling around and having the time of their lives while they fooled around. Phil turned away, leaning on the railing as he looked over the sea, his long hair falling into his face. "Phil, how could you do this? How will we get through this? I never should have let them dance..." a stray tear slipped down his cheeks, mourning, knowing that he's going to lose one of his sons in the close future. Tubbo would be back with his real father, and his brothers would have to cope with the fact Tubbo wouldn't be with them anymore in the Dream SMP. 

Tommy laughed as he spun around in circles with Tubbo. It was just like the old days when they were kids, and the brothers would have fun, dancing around with each other. Tommy's smile faltered slightly. Right, the old days. It suddenly hit him that soon, Tubbo would be with his father instead of them. They didn't have much time left together. Tubbo had a duty to be Prince in Paris, while Tommy had his own duties back in the Dream SMP.

"I'm feeling a little... dizzy." Tubbo murmured softly, eyes meeting Tommy's before darting off to look at the sea. 

"...Yeah, I'm kind of light-headed." Tommy agreed, chuckling as they slowed their dance to a halt, still standing in front of each other. "Probably from spinning. Maybe we should stop."

"We _have_ stopped." Tubbo pointed out, snapping Tommy out of his daze. 

"Oh." he laughed, letting go of Tubbo's hands to rub the back of his neck. He felt a wave of emotions wash over him, and he rapidly blinked his eyes to hold back tears.

"Is something the matter?" Tubbo asked softly. He's always been able to notice when something was up with Tommy no matter how hard Tommy tried to mask his emotions. 

"Tubbo, I..." he began, trailing off. How was he supposed to say _'I want us to turn around and go home because I don't want to lose you?'_ to Tubbo? He was being selfish. They were going to find Tubbo's father, a man Tubbo had been searching for his whole life, and although Tommy had embarked on this journey with excitement in the beginning, he was starting to get cold feet. He didn't want to get in the way of Tubbo's happiness. So he bit his tongue. 

"...You're doing great." he finished curtly, brushing his blonde hair out of his eyes as he stepped back, walking away briskly, leaving Tubbo confused. Tears threatened to fall from Tommy's eyes as he walked away. He didn't want Tubbo or Phil to see him cry. He was strong, not weak. He could do this. He was fine.

"I'll be in my room," he called, leaving Phil and Tubbo behind as he hurried down the steps towards the dorms. Once in the comfort of his own room, Tommy allowed himself to cry, sitting on the edge of his bed. He sniffled, grieving for the future loss of his best friend. 


	10. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo has a life-threatening nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the wait! Been busy with school starting up again recently. I think this chapter is well worth the wait tho >:) Probably my favourite chapter so far!! It's a whole whopping 2,800+ words, let's fucking gooooo. I think that's the longest chapter yet!!!

The next few days they spent on the ship were rather uneventful. Tommy very quickly got over his previous grievances, not wanting his emotions to get in the way of Tubbo finally being able to find his father again.

Night had fell on the waters, and the family stood on the deck in their pyjamas, leaning on the railing of the ship. Tubbo watched the waves, intrigued by the way the moon's reflection danced across the water.

"So, two more nights?" Tommy asked softly, breaking the silence. 

"Yes, two more nights and we'll be off this ship. Then we take a train the rest of the way to Paris." Phil answered.

"Finally! I'm sick of the sea. I don't like it. It's deep, dark, and cold." Tommy replied.

"Well, that's fitting, I don't think raccoons can swim." came Techno's voice as he spoke up.

"Hey bitch! Shut your mouth. I don't think pigs can swim either, bet if I pushed you overboard you would just sink like a rock." Tommy threatened, raising a fist as he advanced onto Techno. The two commenced a grappling fight with each other, each continuing to threaten to throw the other off the ship despite clearly making no move to. Phil chuckled, he knew they wouldn't, so he let them go about their antics. 

Tubbo laughed, eyes moving from the sea to look over at his brothers fighting. It didn't last long, and Techno easily had Tommy pinned to the floor.

"Give up yet?" the Piglin hybrid asked, raising an eyebrow. Tommy made eye contact with Tubbo, gesturing to Techno before looking back at the older male. 

"No! There's one thing I have that you'll never ever have, Techno." came Tommy's reply, Tubbo casually moving his position to their side, acting as if he didn't take any notice of them.

"Yeah? What's that?" Techno asked, laughing, indulging Tommy.

"I HAVE THE BEE!" Tommy screeched, and Tubbo promptly lunged at them, laughing as he collided with Techno and knocked him off Tommy. Techno let out a surprised grunt, and he was then wrestling against Tubbo _and_ Tommy. The three argued, and Phil decided to put an end to their antics, forcing them to separate.

"Alright boys, that's enough. Bed time." Phil chuckled, helping them up, and he ruffled Tubbo's hair.

"Yeah, little Princes need their beauty sleep." inputted Wilbur with a laugh, which earned him a glare from Tubbo. 

"Wilbur, hush. Now come on, off we go." Phil shook his head with a sigh, ushering his four children off towards their sleeping quarters. 

The four siblings protested, but followed anyway, heading down the steps and into their room. They could really only afford to get one bedroom. Each room had 4 beds in it- 2 bunk beds. Obviously not enough for all of them, but Phil slept on the ground in a sleeping bag, so it was okay.

Wilbur and Techno had immediately claimed the top bunks, leaving Tubbo and Tommy to have the bottom bunks. Tubbo didn't mind, it made getting in and out of bed a lot easier anyway.

So the boys all crept into their beds, curling up under the warm sheets. Phil stayed awake until he was sure all the boys were asleep, before he was falling asleep himself.

* * *

_Far away, the evil alchemist sat at his desk, a crystal ball sitting in his hands. He rubbed it with a cloth, murmuring small phrases._

_Soon, the crystal ball displayed the image of a young teen laying in bed, fast asleep. Quackity laughed, peering into the ball, a sinister look behind his eyes._

_"Look at the little prince, asleep in his bed." he whispered to himself, and began working his magic, gently rubbing the ball with the cloth. "Releasing your horses may not have stopped you, but I have you now. I'll visit you in your dreams, where you can't escape me..."_

* * *

_Tubbo laid on the soft grass, yawning as he stared up at the wondrous sky above him. It was a warm, peaceful and beautiful day in L'Manburg. The teen couldn't ask for anything better._

_Soon, Tommy appeared. "Tubbo! Big T!" he cheered, stumbling over to the teen._

_"Tommy." he greeted with a smile, sitting up. The blonde-haired male extended a hand towards him, and Tubbo accepted the hand, allowing the other to pull him to his feet. His balance felt off, and he constantly felt like he was going to fall over from the world swaying. Tubbo ignored it though, grabbing onto Tommy's hand for stability._

_Above their heads, a couple bees flew past. Tommy's eyes widened in awe, and he was instantly pulling Tubbo down the hill, encouraging him to chase the bees with him._

_"Come on!" Tommy laughed, and Tubbo couldn't help but laugh as well, continuing to stumble after Tommy. He lost his balance a few times, stumbling on the soft grass beneath his bare feet. He caught himself though, either grabbing onto Tommy for support, or a nearby object._

Back on the ship, thunder and lightning crashed overhead. The young prince had left his bed and stumbled into the ship's hallway, very obviously asleep and not aware of his current environment. He laughed out-loud, smiling as he stumbled down the hallway. The giant waves hit the ship roughly, often sending Tubbo stumbling sideways. He laughed once more at something, reaching the stairs that led up to the deck.

_Tubbo was following Tommy. They reached a set of stairs that led up to the Prime Path. Tubbo stumbled up the stairs, placing his hands on the steps for balance as he continuously struggled to stay upright. When they reached the top of the steps, they continued skipping down the path, Tommy eventually letting go of his hand to skip ahead of him. The blonde teen let out a laugh, jumping as he tried to catch the bees._

_Tubbo giggled, moving both his hands to cover his mouth. He lurched forward, catching himself as he easily caught up to the excited boy. "Come! To the river!" Tommy called, reaching back to grab onto Tubbo's hand again. He followed Tommy through the town, walking for another minute before they reached the part of the town where the grass stopped, dropping down into the river that ran through the middle of L'Manburg. They stopped on the edge, and Tubbo grabbed onto the fence for stability._

_He blinked in shock, laughing as he saw his family swimming in the river below them. Phil, Techno, Wilbur, and someone else- His dad! His actual, real dad! Schlatt! What was he doing here in L'Manburg?_

_Schlatt paused, glancing up the cliff to see Tommy and Tubbo standing there, peering down at them with smiling faces. He waved, smiling, calling up to them and drawing everyone else's attention to them as well._

_Wilbur, Phil, and Techno laughed, waving at them. "Tommy! Tubbo! Come on, jump in, it's nice and cool!" Phil called up, extending his arms in invitation._

_Tommy patted Tubbo's shoulder, before he let go of his hand. Tommy climbed over the fence, and Tubbo watched in awe as he jumped off the fence, doing a flip before landing in the water below with a splash. When Tommy resurfaced, laughing, Tubbo couldn't help but laugh too. That looked fun!_

Tubbo stumbled across the deck, the rain pelting down on him. He was oblivious to it soaking his hair and pyjamas. The violent rocking of the ship often sent him stumbling even more now, and he'd either catch himself on a nearby object or the floor before he got back up again, stumbling, following something that wasn't there. He would occasionally let out a laugh, smiling to himself. He reached the edge of the ship, shakily grabbing onto the railing for support. He dangerously leaned over the railing, appearing to be peering at something in the water. His bare feet on the deck of the ship was the only friction that prevented him from falling overboard. 

"Dad!" he let out a laugh, lifting one hand off the railing and waving. He giggled, leaning up as he took his hands off the railing for a moment to cover his mouth as he laughed, stumbling backwards. He caught himself, moving forward again and peering into the water. That was when he nodded, reaching out to grab onto the post attached to the ship. He held it tightly as he placed a foot on the railing, climbing the railing with the support of the post until he was standing on top of the metal railing.

The ship lurched to the side, and Tubbo's hand on the post beside him was the only thing that stopped him from falling off the ship and into the rough waves below him. He leaned dangerously off the edge of the railing, laughing as he looked down upon the water.

Back in the bedroom cabin, loud thunder crashed overhead, which startled a certain Piglin awake. He flinched from how loud the rain and thunder was, yawning. What time was it? He looked at his watch, noting to himself that it was 3 am. He looked at the door- seeing it was hanging wide open. He blinked confused. Did the wind blow it open? He turned to look at the bunk bed across from him, spotting Wilbur fast asleep in the top bunk. That man could sleep through anything.

Techno's blood went cold though as he turned to look at the bunk below Wilbur- lightning flashing again, illuminating the empty bed in a horrifying blue and yellow. 

"Tubbo?" he questioned, shooting up. He skipped the ladder, throwing himself off the top bunk. He landed on the ground, the ship easily throwing off his balance. "TUBBO?" he shouted, looking frantically around the cabin, then at the open bedroom door. If Tubbo wasn't in the cabin, was he on the deck? While it was storming this hard? That was dangerous!

At this point, the others had begun to wake from his yelling. 

"Guys, Tubbo's gone!" he yelled, stumbling over to Phil, and desperately shaking the older man's shoulders until he snapped awake.

Before the others could protest, once Techno was sure they were awake, he ran out into the hallway. "TUBBO?!" he shouted, the ship rocking and throwing him into the wall of the narrow hallway. He ran full-speed down the hallway, stumbling as he raced up the stairs onto the deck. Where was he?

Rain pelted Techno, soaking the male immediately. He didn't care. Tubbo was his main concern right now.

"TUBBO?!" he shouted, his voice seemingly getting drowned out by the rain no matter how loud he shouted. He ran around the deck, and when a minute passed and he still couldn't locate the teen, he decided to climb the rope netting, knowing that he was sure as hell taking a big risk being this high in the sky while it thundered, lightning flashing and striking threateningly around him. He reached the top post, easily climbing into the outlook spot. He leaned over the railing, looking all around the ship for the boy. His heart dropped in his chest when he spotted him- standing on the railing of the edge of the ship, appearing to be laughing as he dangerously leaned off the edge.

"TUBBO NO!" he screamed, realizing there was no way he could make it to the boy on time. He spotted a rope hanging down, pulling out his knife. With skill and ease, he cut the long rope free from where it was tied to the post. Holding on tight and praying to whatever gods there were, Techno leapt off the post, feeling himself suspended in the air for a moment before the rope caught him. He swung towards the boy, hitting the deck a few feet away from him.

_"Jump, son! Come join us!" Schlatt called up to the teen, who laughed in response, nodding excitedly. Eyes focused on his family below, he stepped forward, one of his feet hanging off the edge of the cliff, about to let go of the railing and jump into the river to join his family._

_However, he heard someone faintly call his name. It came from behind him. He paused, a confused and puzzled look taking over his face as he pulled back, still standing on the railing as he looked behind him at whoever who had shouted for him._

_This seemed to anger his father. Tubbo looked back down at his father as the man grew in size, face contorting into that of someone else's. Suddenly as the man- or beast- grew taller and to his height, the person seemed to have a beanie on, his face and everything about him being coloured red, like that of a demon. The happy, pleasant environment around him disappeared, and suddenly he was standing on a cliff, the sky darkening above him as a huge lava lake bubbled menacingly below him._

_"Jump, fool! Your father hates you! He abandoned you, why are you still trying to find him!?" the person- no, demon- screeched, and Tubbo let out a frightened cry as the person latched onto him, grabbing his arm. He tried to cling to the post as the demon tried to pull him off the cliff into the lava. "Let me go!" he cried, tears now streaming down his cheeks, afraid for his life._

_"Die!" the beast screamed, and Tubbo felt a presence behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, spotting another demon behind him. It grabbed him in its arms, and Tubbo screamed in fear, letting go of the post. The demon that held him squeezed him close to its body, holding him with a death-grip. The previous demon let go and disappeared, leaving Tubbo with the other demon that struggled to hold him in its arms as Tubbo thrashed violently._

_"Tubbo!" he heard it shout, and the demon was pulling him away from the edge of the cliff. It put him down on the ground, grabbing the shirt of his pyjamas violently, shaking him. "Tubbo, wake up!" it shouted again, grabbing his wrists to stop him from flailing and hurting himself._

The previous dark world disappeared from Tubbo's view as he woke up. He stopped thrashing, opening his eyes to find himself facing Techno, who's long, pink hair was soaked and pooling around them on the deck. 

"T-Techno?" he stammered, tears pouring down his cheeks despite the rain. The Piglin sighed, relieved, pulling him into a tight hug. Tubbo graciously accepted it. 

"You're okay. You're here." Techno reassured, rubbing his back. 

Tubbo sobbed into the older man's shoulder, his fists balling up the soaking wet fabric of the other's pyjamas. "Techno- the man- the demon- he's after me!" he cried, leaving Techno confused, pulling Tubbo closer in his embrace. 

"Shh. You're awake now, it's fine." he reassured again, slowly standing up, holding Tubbo tight. The storm slowly began to clear up, and the violent rocking of the ship calmed down. Techno picked up the cold, soaked boy, holding him tight as he began to walk back. 

Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy, having seen what happened, had ran over fearfully. "Tubbo! My bro! Why were you going to jump off?" Tommy asked frantically, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

"Not now. Let him calm down before he explains what happened." Techno commanded, and Tubbo was thankful his older brother was willing to speak for him as he carried him back to their room. His trembles slowly stopped as the nightmare faded away. When they got back to his room, Tommy fetched the boy a new pair of clean, dry clothes immediately, before escorting him to the washroom where Tubbo could change out of his soaking wet clothes. 

When he got back, he was dried off, wearing his dry clothes, and his hair was no longer soaking wet, as he had patted it down with a towel. Phil had a hot chocolate ready for him, having ran down to the breakfast hall to get the boy a drink to calm him down. 

Once everyone was in dry clothes, Tommy held Tubbo close in a tight hug as they sat down, tears slipping down his cheeks as he recounted the events of his dream to his family. They all decided to make the conscious decision to take night shifts after that happened until they would get off the ship so Tubbo could be watched in case he sleep-walked again. 

* * *

Far away, Quackity shouted in anger, slamming his hands down on his desk in frustration. Another attempt at getting rid of the boy failed. He'd just have to try again. 

"I'll just have to get more... personal... now." Quackity hummed as he began writing something down, working on another plan. "...I originally wanted just the boy gone, but oh well. If his family insists on going down with him, then so be it." he chuckled darkly. 


	11. Boarding the Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gets off the boat and heads to catch the next train headed to Paris, though Phil being the bad dad he is, didn't buy train tickets, so they sneak on instead. Tubbo's train trauma resurfaces and causes problems + he gets flashbacks. Things r not good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really fuckin short chapter, forgive me aaaaaaaaaa. Next chapter is another big plot chapter with Quackity so its gonna be kinda long probably, just wanted to get this beginner intro-on the train shit out of the way, plus give y'all something since its been at least a week or more since I last updated oops- Next chapter should hopefully be out soon if I find the time!!! since its a big plot one it will probably be out sooner rather than later since I'll be more motivated to write lmao

After Tubbo nearly died on that god-forsaken ship, it was understandable he wanted to get off it as soon as possible. Despite the terrifying nightmare, the next few days went fairly smoothly. However, his dreams were plagued with haunted images of Paris and Schlatt, along with bad people out to get him. It made him uneasy. 

When he finally stepped off the ship, Tubbo had never felt so relieved to feel solid ground beneath his feet before. He could almost just get down on the ground and kiss it. 

"Finally." he heard Techno mutter as they got off, the Piglin hybrid glancing behind him to send a glare at the ship. "Phil, fuck boats. We're taking the train all the way home." he commented, earning a laugh from their father, ruffling the male's hair. 

Tubbo's smile fell into a frown, quickly looking away so the others wouldn't notice it. If things went as planned here... He would stay in Paris with his father, and his friends would head back home. Without him. The thought of it made him sad despite how excited he was to finally meet his father.

"Anyway, Phil. Now what? We're taking the train to Paris now, right?" Tubbo asked, forcing himself to push the negative thoughts away. They had come all this way, Tubbo couldn't get cold feet now. They were in too deep.

"Mhm. We travel for a few more hours on foot, and by 11 am we should reach the train station!" Phil hummed with a happy clap of his hands. 

Throwing their backpacks on their backs, the group set off in the direction of the train station. 

* * *

"Okay, so, the thing is, we don't have train tickets." Phil finally admitted with a sly smirk when the group reached the train. Tubbo stopped in his tracks, turning to look at his adoptive father in shock.

"And- you just decide to mention that NOW?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You guys all seemed excited, didn't wanna ruin the atmosphere." Phil shrugged, looking up and eyeing the train. "What we'll do is we'll just sneak on. Easy peasy. We'll hang around the back of the train, and then when it starts moving, we jump on."

Tubbo didn't like this. Or rather, it hit him with an odd sense of deja vu.

It reminded him of the terrible night he lost his father and all his memories. He didn't want that to happen with his new family now too. 

Phil, having noticed the uneasy look on Tubbo's face, pulled him in for a hug. "It's alright Tubbo, we're going to get on the train. It's fine. You're not being left behind." he reassured, rubbing his back. Tubbo could only nod weakly, staring at the floor.

"Alright, let's go."

The group approached the train platform, gazes focused on the train about 20 meters away when a loud whistle blew, and the train shifted forward. 

"Fuck, it's leaving! Let's go!" Phil yelled, and they broke out into a run, weaving between people walking on the platform as they tried to catch up. They were sent some odd looks, but they didn't care.

Tubbo vaguely felt Tommy press his hand into his own, holding his hand tightly as he ran, pulling Tubbo forward.

Phil was the first one to grab the moving train's railing, hauling himself up before turning to his sons. He reached out, grabbing Wilbur's outstretched hand, as the boy looked like he was struggling to keep up. Holding the male's wrists, Phil pulled him forward, swinging the boy onto the platform beside him before the two immediately turned to help the other three. Still holding Tubbo's hand, Tommy managed to grab the railing of the train, shortly after followed by Techno, who leapt up onto the platform.

Tommy was hauled up onto the platform leaving Tubbo clutching onto the boy's hand, huffing tiredly, movements beginning to slow down.

This was all too familiar.

His vision flashed before his eyes.

_"Dad, don't let go!" the 8-year-old had shouted, seconds before he felt his father's hand slip out of his grip, sending him crashing to the ground._

Tubbo barely recognized it when Techno and Phil had leaned over the railing, grabbing the smaller boy's shirt and roughly pulling him on board successfully. He didn't even realize he was hyperventilating as he fell limp against Phil's chest, the older male quickly lowering him to the steel floor of the platform.

_"Breathe, Tubbo. You're safe. We're on the train."_

His hand was gently grabbed, moving it to press it against someone's chest. 

_"Match my breathing."_

In, out. In, out. In, out.

Tubbo blinked, tears slipping from his eyes as he looked at Phil, before he looked back around him, watching the scenery fly by. He heard the loud roar of the train rolling along the tracks in his ears. "We made it?"

"We made it. I'm so sorry, Tubbo." Phil murmured, and helped the boy get to his feet. "I hate to pressure you, but we must go in. I sent the boys ahead to get to the baggage car. We'll sit the train ride out in there, the train staff don't usually check there so we won't have to show tickets."

Tubbo merely nodded weakly, allowing the taller blonde to lead him inside the warm train. 


	12. Runaway Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil, Techno, Wilbur, Tubbo, and Tommy all move to the baggage car so they can avoid being kicked off the train for not having tickets like the little gremlins they are. Quackity fucks up their ride and things do not go great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hold tight, because this is going to be wild

Tommy, Techno, and Wilbur had arrived in the baggage car first. They dropped their bags onto the floor, huffing tiredly.

"Holy fuck, it's cold as a bitch." Tommy cursed, glaring at the door while he shivered, rubbing his arms.

It wasn't long after that Phil and Tubbo arrived, the two males depositing their belongings on the floor with everyone else's. 

"He'll freeze in here." Wilbur muttered with a laugh, referring to Tubbo.

"Yeah? Well, he can thaw in Paris." Techno snorted, causing the others to laugh.

Tubbo sat down on top of a wooden crate, letting out a sigh and smiling as he looked around at his family setting settled down. They would be here for awhile, so they might as well get comfortable for their long ride. "Gotta say, a baggage car isn't the most comfortable, is it?"

"Sorry, my Prince, I just would hate to see you forced to mingle with all those commoners." Techno hummed, giving the smaller boy a pat on his head, followed by a mock bow. A laugh ripped itself out of Tubbo's mouth, and he shook his head, pushing Techno away with his foot.

"Alright, boys, calm down now. We've got a long ride ahead of us and I don't want to have to listen to your bickering the whole way there." Phil told them as he sat down on the floor.

"Ha, hear that Techno? Dad wants you to shut up-" Tommy began to say.

"-That goes for you too, Tommy." Phil interrupted, staring at his youngest son with an amused smile on his face.

"Hey!"

* * *

Meanwhile, from the comfort of his home in the castle, Quackity was working his magic. He had to act fast, as the family would arrive in Paris in a couple hours, granted their train ride went smoothly.

The thing was, Quackity planned for the ride to go everything _but_ smoothly. This train certainly wouldn't make it to Paris, and the family wouldn't either. At least, not alive.

He hummed, a wicked grin on his face as an image of the train appeared in his crystal ball. Time to cut them off.

* * *

Tubbo sat on the floor, leaning against the wall of the train. It was quite loud and noisy in the baggage car, and Tubbo was beginning to get slightly annoyed by the rattling of the train. They had been on the train for a couple hours now, and he was to say the least, extremely bored. He sighed, eyes drifting down as he sat, and grabbed the compass that hung around his neck. He opened it, gazing at it silently while fiddling with it in his hands.

"Princes shouldn't fiddle with their things. It's not proper." he heard Techno say, who sat leaning against the wall across from him. Tubbo merely stuck his tongue out at his brother. "It's not proper." he mimicked, snorting. Techno rolled his eyes.

It was silent for a few moments, before suddenly a loud explosion from right outside the baggage car door was heard, and the train lurched forward, sending Tubbo toppling over top of Tommy, the two boys yelping as they rolled. "What the fuck was that?!" Tommy shouted from underneath Tubbo, the two boys struggling to untangle their limbs.

"I don't know, but there goes the dining car!" Techno growled, standing in the doorway of the car, where Tubbo quickly noticed the door was hanging off its hinges, and one quick glance outside confirmed to him that the baggage car had indeed separated from the dining car, and the rest of the train was falling behind as their car only seemed to speed up. 

"Get off of me!" Tommy hissed at Tubbo, voice strained from Tubbo quite literally crushing his chest and forcing the wind out of him.

"I'm trying!" Tubbo muttered he finally managed to stand up, shortly after helping Tommy to his feet as well.

"Uh... Phil!" Wilbur's concerned voice broke out in the chaos, and they looked at the musician, who was looking out the opposite door that led to the engine. He stared in horror at the horrifying amount of smoke and flames that poured out of the engine's chimney. _That_ was _definitely_ not normal. "I think our engine might be just a little bit out of control!"

Techno and Phil immediately ran over, Techno ripping open the door as the group stared in horror at the engine. Techno seemed to make the consecutive decision, immediately pulling off his cape, leaving him dressed in just his white long-sleeved blouse and skinny jeans. He shoved the fluffy cape into Phil's arms. 

"Stay here, I'm going to go check it out." Techno commanded, stepping out the door and grabbing onto the metal ladder going up the back of the engine. The metal felt extremely cold under his fingertips.

The other boys watched fearfully as Techno hauled himself up on top of the train, ducking out of the way of the smoke as he stumbled across the coal. He finally reached the front of the engine, hopping down.

"-Fuck!" Techno cursed, stumbling, and used his arm to shield his eyes as the heat from the furnace rolled over him in waves, flames dangerously flying out of it, shoving embers and ashes into his face and making it hard to see.

"Anybody here?" he called out, looking around as he stumbled towards the meter on the wall, tapping the glass a few times before it exploded in his face. He let out a yell, hissing as he stumbled back, his cheek bleeding from a spot where a piece of glass had embedded itself in his skin. He'd worry about that later. 

He was quick to exit the engine, seeing the flames growing more and more out of control. He stumbled back across the top of the engine, leaping down into the baggage car, where Phil caught him, steadying him on his feet.

"We're going way too fast!" Tubbo exclaimed, peeking his head out of the door, cold wind and snow whipping in his face. 

"Nobody's driving this damn train!" Techno cursed, running over to the side of the car. "We're gonna have to jump!" 

"-Did you say... jump?!" Tubbo asked in horror, watching as Techno pushed open the sliding doors. The ground beneath the train gave away into a deep, snow and rock covered valley. Tubbo gestured to the long drop below them. "AFTER YOU!" he yelled.

"No- fine, we'll uncable the car." Techno muttered, turning away and running over to the engine's door again, stepping out into the cold and steadying his footing as he kneeled. As if something had heard their plan, a whisp of magic swirled around the cable, causing the metal attaching the engine to the baggage car to become melted together.

Techno cursed as he tried to unhook it, finding it impossible with just his hands. "Come on! I need a wrench- an axe- anything!" he yelled.

"Here!" Phil called, finding a toolkit on the floor, handing a hammer to Techno. 

Techno hit the cable a few times, cursing as it didn't seem to be working. "Come on! There's gotta be something stronger in there!" 

Tubbo's eyes landed on a box of dynamite. His eyes lit up excitedly, and he grabbed one of the dynamite sticks, swiping it against the floor to light it as he handed it off to Techno. 

Techno went to use the item to smack the cable with before he seemed to realize what was in his hands, eyes widening. "That'll work!" he laughed, lodging the stick into a crack in the cables. He leapt out of the way, back into the car. "Go, go, go!" he yelled at his family, and they all turned and fled, taking shelter behind a stack of luggage. Techno grabbed Tubbo and Tommy, pulling them down to the floor as he tried to shelter them in his arms.

"...What the fuck does Phil teach you orphans?" Techno muttered questionably, causing their father to let out a loud laugh before the stick of dynamite exploded, causing the car to lurch again, sending them all toppling to the ground. Phil ran over to the front of the car, which was now blown to pieces, missing the entire wall and roof. He grabbed onto the brake wheel, desperately trying to turn it to activate the breaks. "The breaks won't work!" he shouted to Techno.

"Damn- uh- it's fine! We've got plenty of track. We'll just- coast to a nice stop." Techno coughed, wheezing as he stood up, spreading his arms for emphasis. 

As if to mock his words, suddenly they heard another, much louder explosion. The group turned around to look ahead of them, where a bridge crossing the valley was- or at least, used to be. What used to be a bridge was now left in ruins, the track ending as pieces of rubble fell into the deep abyss below. They all gasped in horror, fear filling them.

"...You were saying?" Tubbo muttered, holding onto Phil's shoulders for support, his legs feeling weak from the fear coursing through him. Fuck, he was going to die- he was going to die- he was going to die-

Tommy looked around, spotting a chain on the floor. "I've got an idea, Tubbo, help me with this!" he called out, running over to the opposite end of the train. He carefully climbed off the edge, holding onto the metal bars criss-crossing below the train's platform. He cursed, his back mere inches from skimming the ground beneath him that flew by.

"Give me the chain!" he hissed, desperately reaching up. 

Much to Tommy's distaste, Techno's face appeared above him, handing him the chain.

"Not you!" he growled, feeling his hate for his older brother kick in.

"Tubbo's busy at the moment." his brother grunted, sending a quick glance behind him where Phil was trying to console Tubbo while hugging him, embracing him with his wings as the poor boy looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

Tommy grunted, giving in and accepting the chain. He held his breath as he reached under the train, looping it many, many times around the metal bars under the train.

Right as he pulled it taut, a piece from the other end of the train car broke off. Loud bangs were heard as the piece of metal ricocheted between the bottom of the car and the tracks, sailing back towards Tommy. He yelped, narrowly dodging the piece of metal. Though in his haste to dodge it, he accidentally let go of the train, losing his balance and beginning to fall towards the tracks. "-Fuck, fuck!" he shouted in fear, though he was saved when Techno quickly grabbed his arms, and hauled him up. He held the boy close to his chest, with Tommy clutching his shirt in fear of having almost fell off the wildly speeding train. 

Suddenly another piece of metal shot out from under the train, and the two boys turned to stare in shock as the metal flew out, hitting a nearby tree at unimaginable speeds, causing a branches to fall and splinter.

Techno coughed, straightening up and letting go of Tommy, who had to stop himself from biting back a whine at the loss of contact. "And to think that could have been you." Techno muttered, turning his gaze away, cheeks flustered and embarrassed from even having shown any sort of care or affection for his younger brother.

"...If we live through this," Tommy whispered, dusting himself off, trying to shake the cold from his fingers, "remind me to thank you."

Tommy returned to the chain, grabbing the other end and hauling the heavy thing up into his arms. He stumbled over to the edge of the train, before quickly throwing it off. Hopefully it would act as an anchor and help stop the train.

"BRACE YOURSELF!" he shouted, and the family immediately threw themselves to the floor, holding onto any nearby object that they could.

The anchor slipped down the tracks until the long train straightened out. Finally, it caught on a piece of the track. It held for a split second, before the train lurched even harder this time, the anchor coming loose as it ripped up the tracks. They felt the train spin 90 degrees, now it turned as it kicked up snow from the ground. They all hastily stood to their feet, running together. Tommy latched onto Tubbo, holding him tight and refusing to let go as they stumbled over to the edge of the train, which was beginning to slow down greatly now.

"You're so fucking clingy, Tubbo." Tommy muttered to himself as he held onto Tubbo. 

Tubbo let out a dry laugh. "Oh, _I'm_ the clingy one?"

They all grabbed their bags, putting them on their backs as they held hands tightly, not wanting to let go. "Well, this is our stop, boys!" Phil called, and beckoned them to jump. Tubbo heard himself and his brothers and father screaming as they leapt off the train, grunting as they landed in the deep snowbank that cushioned their fall. 

As they sat in the snow and gained their bearings, Tubbo looked up just in time to watch the engine and the baggage car they were previously just standing on sail over the edge of the blown-up track, falling into the deep valley below. A few moments passed before they heard a huge explosion, and fires, embers and smoke grew up from the bottom of the valley where the train had hit the ground. Tubbo flinched, and Tommy held him tighter, pulling him deeper into his embrace. Tubbo simply let himself be coddled, burying his face into Tommy's chest as tears slipped down his cheeks. He breathed heavily, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself. Holy fuck, they almost just died. That could have been them going over that cliff.

Phil stood up, helping Wilbur and Techno to their feet before heading over to the two teens in the snow, clutching each other like their life depended on it. He rested a hand on each of their shoulders, pulling them up into his embrace and sheltering them with his wings. "Shh, it's alright. We're safe now." he whispered, leaning his forehead against Tommy's shoulder.

Techno came up behind them, dusting the snow off his clothes. Phil slowly let go, turning around, offering the snow-covered Techno his red cape back with a half-hearted smile. The male nodded his thanks, accepting it and putting it on. He coughed, looking over at the huge cloud of smoke and embers.

"...If we live past all this shit, remind me to never, ever ride a train again." he muttered, picking up their bags that had fallen. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favourite things about this chapter that I tried to note uwu:
> 
> \- "he'll freeze in here" "yeah? well, he'll thaw in Paris." highkey took this line from the movie, but it was too great to not use
> 
> \- "Techno grabbed Tubbo and Tommy, pulling them down to the floor as he tried to shelter them in his arms." Ah, yes, a simple gesture that shows Techno really cares a lot about his younger bros even if he doesn't say it
> 
> \- "what does Phil teach you orphans?" so rewatching the original movie, Dimitri (Techno) had said the line "What do they teach you in those orphanages?" after Anya (Tubbo) had handed him the stick of dynamite. and you know, given Techno's history of orphan jokes, I absolutely HAD TO use this quote, just altered slightly since Tubbo technically didn't grow up in an orphanage, but it still referred to Tubbo being an orphan.
> 
> \- Techno helping Tommy out with the chain!! they pretty much have a love-hate relationship like they do on the smp in canon. so its great when they act all tough like they don't care for each other, hence the sour "and to think that could have been you" line.
> 
> \- "He held the boy close to his chest, with Tommy clutching his shirt in fear of having almost fell off the wildly speeding train." more Techno content being protective of his younger bros :D


	13. In the Dark of the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deeper look into Quackity's secret past + why he despises Tubbo so much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quackity gets a chapter to himself because honestly is it really a proper novel if the villain doesn't get to shine and monologue at least ONCE
> 
> also, Quackity's chat is canon in this :D
> 
> don't mind me vibing to "In the Dark of the Night" from Anastasia (1997) while writing this LMAO it really sets the mood. This chapter gets a little messy to understand if you haven't seen the movie, so if you want more context you can find the scene on YouTube here which might help you imagine certain bits better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocm8QdNR_d8

Quackity shouted in frustration, slamming his hands angrily down on his desk as he stood up, taking off his beanie and throwing it onto the floor. He huffed, running his hands through his hair, stalking over to one of his filing cabinets, pulling out a photo of Tubbo. 

He scowled down at the photo, knowing the group was now close to Paris. Far closer than he would have liked. It seemed like he would have to pull a few more strings to help interfere with Tubbo getting here to see Schlatt.

The thing about Quackity is, not many people knew of his past. Really, the only person who knows of his origins is Schlatt. Likewise, Quackity is also one of the few people who know quite a bit about the ruler's past, which was something he didn't share with a lot of people.

Most didn't know that Quackity was actually once a well-respected member of the Dream SMP. The male could remember that night so clearly.

* * *

_It was raining, being very late into the night. Quackity walked down the streets of the SMP, humming to himself as he stepped in puddles that had formed on the prime path. It wasn't long until something caught his attention - an unfamiliar brunette walking through the streets nervously, sending quick glances around him. He had a small boy with him, who appeared to be around the age of 8. The boy struggled to keep up as the older man, presumably his father, tugged him anxiously by the hand. Quackity ducked behind a house to watch them pass by, remaining unseen by the nervous pair. Or rather, only the father seemed to be nervous. The little boy seemed oblivious to any sort of danger._

_The male continued to watch the two from the shadows. He eventually spotted the father build a small shack, hiding his son inside before leaving, heading deeper into the city._

_Quackity looked at the shack curiously, where he could see the small outline of the young boy huddled in the corner from where he was hiding. He debated approaching, to see what was going on. Hopefully he could see if they were okay, he knew Dream didn't like newcomers. He hated a lot of the stupid rules Dream had enforced, they were quite ridiculous, honestly._

_Once the father had left and Quackity could no longer see him, he huffed, approaching the shack slowly. When he drew closer, his shadow fell over the doorway from the nearby lamp-post._

_"Dad?" a tiny, soft voice echoed from within the shack, and when Quackity got closer, he could see the tiny form of the boy huddled in the corner of the shack._

_"I'm not your dad." Quackity told the boy, sending a glance down at the way his father had left. In an effort to seem less intimidating, Quackity dropped the umbrella, and kneeled down on the ground in front of the shivering boy._

_Quackity pulled a loaf of bread out of his inventory, offering it to the boy. "Are you hungry, little one?"_

_The boy looked at the bread, then looked at him suspiciously, but the growl from his stomach made him give in, and nodded. Quackity tore off a piece, and gave it to the brunette. "What is your name?" he asked curiously._

_"Tubbo." replied the small boy, peering up at the older man through his soaking wet bangs that looked like it had been a little too long since they had a last trim. ''Who are you?"_

_"My name is Quackity. Is that man I saw you with your father?" Quackity asked, and Tubbo nodded in response, too busy munching on the bread hungrily to reply._

_"What are you guys doing here? It's not safe." he questioned, waiting patiently for the boy to swallow his food._

_"Dad brought us here so we can get food and get out of the rain. We're very hungry." Tubbo explained, biting into the bread. Quackity nodded, and spotted the pair's backpack sitting on the floor. He tucked the bread in a bag, putting it into the backpack._

_"You guys can keep that." he told him, and Tubbo nodded, casting him a big, happy smile. "Thank you!" the boy chirped._

_Quackity heard some loud commotion from a few streets down. He should get going. He patted Tubbo's head, standing up. "Take care, Tubbo." he told the boy, stepping out into the rain. He picked up his umbrella, tucking it away as he scaled up a building, squinting as he tried to spot what was going on._

_It didn't take him long to notice it. There was a group of the SMP's guards running down the street, splitting up and searching. He soon also spotted Dream himself, running after the brunette from before with the clear intent to kill. Quackity groaned, sliding down the tower and heading in the opposite direction so he could catch them._

_He waited only a few minutes, standing on the path, before he spotted the father running with his son in tow. He could see Dream running, chasing them, not too far behind._

_He waved at them, and when they got close enough, he pointed to the woods. "There's a train leaving in a minute! You'll want to catch it!" he called out. The father smiled, breathlessly thanking him as he passed him. Once past, Quackity pulled out his sword and shield, blocking Dream's path. The two clashed swords._

_"Get out of the way Quackity!" Dream had snarled, hitting Quackity's shield for emphasis. Quackity shook his head, sparing a glance at the two fleeing. The father looked back, their eyes meeting for a split moment, giving him a nod of thanks once more before he turned forward again, running faster as a train whistle echoed in the air._

_"No, Dream. This is fucked up!" he growled, pushing back against the sword using his shield. "The man has a kid, leave him alone!"_

_"A trespasser is a trespasser, the fact that he has a kid doesn't change a thing. He still could have been a huge threat to our city." Dream hissed, and he pulled back his sword. He darted forward, shoulder ramming into the other's shield with such strength, knocking him to the ground. Before Quackity could react, he felt a blunt object hit his temple, knocking him out cold._

* * *

After that incident, Quackity had quickly grew to resent Dream even more than he previously had. He began objecting to Dream's notions with the SMP that he deemed wrong instead of staying quiet. They fought and argued a lot. 

Soon, Dream must of had enough of his rebellious actions, and exiled him from his country. He was a threat to his power, so he had to go.

Quackity spent the next year of his life travelling. He had no purpose or attachment to a particular place anymore, so he just kept moving. When he grew bored of an area, he'd pack up and move. He grew to resent not only Dream, but Schlatt and Tubbo too. After all, they were the reason he got kicked out of the country he loved. Deep down he knew that it wasn't their fault, but the man's hate simply grew and grew, latching onto anything it could. It was just so simple to blame Schlatt and Tubbo for everything.

Soon, he found himself in Paris, where he met Schlatt again, who to his surprise, was now royalty. Putting aside his grudge against Schlatt, he decided to act like the friendly man who had saved him a year ago. After all, being "friends" with royalty had its perks, right?

Schlatt had informed him that he returned to Paris because of his royal family there. After losing his son, he was heartbroken, and wanted to be with his family again. Him and Tubbo had actually left Paris in the first place because they wanted to explore Europe before Schlatt would be stuck in his role as King when his parents passed on. If he knew how it would have ended up, with losing his son, he never would have left in the first place. Or he would have decided to leave Tubbo home with his parents. 

Quackity played up the role of a caring friend over the next few weeks that he stayed in Paris. He counselled Schlatt, helping him through his mourning for his lost son. Soon, Schlatt offered him a position in the castle - his personal servant. It wasn't the best position for the power-hungry man, but he knew that if he played his cards right, he'd get somewhere.

And get somewhere he certainly did. Many years later, Schlatt's parents passed on, and Schlatt was titled the new King. Normally, the King's son would take the place of Prince. However, they all knew Tubbo was missing, who would have been the Prince. 

So Schlatt chose to appoint Quackity as his next heir. 

Just what he wanted. He was one-step closer to power.

That was why now, so many years later, Quackity knew he had to dispose of this "Tubbo". He didn't care that he was Schlatt's son. It only took one look at the pictures of the 16 year old to know very well that Tubbo was in fact, the real deal. There were so many similarities between the 8 year old and this 16 year old, not to mention the things mentioned in his letter that only the real Tubbo would know.

Tubbo was a threat to his power. Quackity needed to stay in power. He was so utterly close to achieving his dream of becoming King - to prove Dream wrong and get his revenge. If Tubbo came home, then he would replace Quackity as the next heir. 

He just simply wouldn't rest until the boy was disposed of. 

"I used to be one of the most respected men in all of the Dream SMP! Until that boy and his dad had to come along and ruin it." Quackity snarled to himself, angrily slamming a hand down on his desk before he paced across the room, pinning the photo of Tubbo to the dart board that hung in his office.

The voices in his head raged in agreement, resonating with his anger and justifying it. Their encouragement only fuelled his passion.

_Kill him!_

_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_

_MURDER_

_KILL THE BOY_

_Tubbo must die_

_Tell her you'll find him!_

Quackity laughed as he paced back over to his desk. "Tell him is the **_LEAST_** I could do!" he grinned, swiping a hand across his crystal ball to make it display an image of Tubbo, who appeared to be trekking through the snow down a path with his family. On their way to Paris, it seemed. He cupped the ball with his hands as he leaned on his desk, glaring into the image. "Soon, he will fear that his nightmares are real!" he cackled, standing up in a swift motion, picking up a dagger from his table. "He'll be _THROUGH!_ "

_He will find him!_

_FIND HIM!_

_Tell him he's through!_

_DOOM HIM!_

Quackity laughed wickedly as he examined his beautiful dagger, adjusting it in his grip. "My dear, here's a sign, it's the end of the line for you!" he cackled, and threw the dagger. The weapon lodged itself on the dart board, hitting the smack middle of the picture of Tubbo's face he had pinned to it. 

He turned back to the crystal ball, beginning to pour all his magic into it, repeating phrases out loud as he began to cast a spell. "Come my minions, rise for your master. Let your evil shine!" he yelled, laughing wildly as the wind picked up in his study. Papers blew off the desk, stacks of items toppling over onto the floor. His hair that wasn't tucked under his beanie whipped around wildly in the strong winds. Soon, sparks began to form around him, and small, bat-sized shapes made of green mist exited the crystal ball, all whispering one common thing: _Find the boy_. 

"Find him NOW." he shouted, watching as the window in his study blew open, and his little summoned demons flew out the window. He followed them to the window, cackling out into the cold, night air. "He'll be MINE!"


	14. Giving Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SBI family books a hotel room to spend a night in before they arrive in Paris tomorrow. They are all surprised when Schlatt shows up on the TV bearing some grim news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the first time i wrote this chapter my shitty laptop froze and i lost all my progress and I died on the inside emotionally. but on the bright side, pretty sure I rewrote it better, so there's that.
> 
> also y'all finally get ur wilbur content here >:))))
> 
> also... a special friend of Wilbur's makes an appearance now. take your guesses now because you'll know who it is by the end of the chapter >:)

The family had traveled through the snow for the next few days towards Paris by horseback. After their previous encounters with using fast methods of transportation, they all agreed that it would be safest if they travelled the rest of the way on foot. It wasn't that far away either way, it was close enough where it would only take them a few days to arrive by horse.

The night before they were supposed to arrive in Paris, they encountered a village, so Phil decided to rent them a hotel room for the night to give them all a chance to warm up and get out of the snow before their big day tomorrow.

Now, Tubbo was standing in the washroom as he got ready for bed. He had changed into a pair of soft blue pyjamas that had little pictures of bees on them, and was currently brushing through his brown hair while looking in the mirror.

He was a whole bundle of nerves. He was so close to meeting his dad, and he was anxious about it. What if he wasn't what Schlatt expected he would be?

He continued to muddle over his own thoughts and worries for a few minutes, until a shout from the main room of the hotel room caught his attention.

"Hey, Tubbo! Come here! Your dad is on TV!" he heard Wilbur call out excitedly. 

Tubbo's eyes widened. He threw the brush down, spinning around and nearly tripped over himself from how fast he tried to make it into the main room. There, he saw Wilbur sitting on the edge of the bed in front of the TV, Phil sitting on one of the beds and leaning against the headboard, and Techno and Tommy sitting on the other bed. They were all watching the TV.

Tubbo hastily went over, taking a seat on the end of the bed with Wilbur as he looked up at the TV. It appeared to be a news broadcast of some sort. There was a reporter standing in front of the camera, and two men could be seen standing in the back. He recognized one of them as Schlatt. The other one wore a beanie, though he seemed kind of familiar. Like Tubbo had seen him before... Where had he seen him? He couldn't place his finger on it.

His attention was drawn back to the speaker once they began talking. 

_"Hello, today we are here with King Schlatt and Prince Quackity-"_ the reporter began, though Tubbo missed the next few lines as he sent a confused look at Phil. "Prince Quackity?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Is he related to me?"

"Ah, no. Schlatt named him heir a few years ago when he wasn't able to find you, as he had to have someone take over the throne and he had no other children." Phil explained, and Tubbo nodded, turning back to the TV just in time to see the reporter step off the screen.

Silence hung in the air before Schlatt started to speak. _"As you may all know, 8 years ago, I lost my son Toby while we were out adventuring, and I haven't seen him since."_

 _Oh. **Oh.**_ They were talking about him. He swallowed nervously, and felt the bed beside him shift as Tommy sat down, taking his hand in his own and giving it a gentle squeeze for comfort. Tubbo gave him a small nod to show his thanks. 

_"Many also know that I had offered a large cash reward for the safe return of my son. I have since seen many young boys show up pretending to be my son Toby..."_ Schlatt spoke, his voice softening towards the end as he looked down, grief in his eyes. _"I have decided that I do not wish to see any more Toby's."_

Tubbo's heart nearly stopped right then and there. No... They were so close! They couldn't give up now. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he shook, clutching his head.

**_"Don't let go, dad!" the 8-year-old had screamed moments before disaster. A hand slipped out of his, and suddenly Tubbo couldn't hear anything as he hit the cold train tracks, falling unconscious._ **

His whole body shook as he forced himself to look back up at the TV, and he felt Tommy shift on the bed, moving his legs as he pulled him into a tight embrace, allowing the smaller male to lean against his chest as he cried. Tommy didn't say anything yet, simply rubbing Tubbo's back as they all sat in silence, letting the broadcast finish.

 _"As of today, there will be no more Toby's. The reward for his safe return will be donated to charity."_ Schlatt uttered, hanging his head as a tear slipped down his cheek. The man standing beside him, Prince Quackity, rested a hand on Schlatt's shoulder to comfort him, choosing to speak up to give Schlatt a breather.

 _"We all hoped that Toby would be able to make it home to us, but now after 8 years, we all believe that it's time we move on and forget the past."_ Prince Quackity announced, his voice oddly full of confidence compared to Schlatt's. _"The thought of Toby being alive out there somewhere was a dream."_

 _"...A beautiful dream."_ Schlatt agreed and voiced, nodding as he lifted his head, wiping the few tears that slid down his cheeks. 

_"...A dream... That only time will heal."_ Quackity added.

 _"So I don't want to see anymore rumours of the young Prince Toby, nor do I want boys showing up pretending to be him. We will let Toby rest."_ Schlatt spoke, using a shaky hand to wipe his tears away. The King turned away from the camera, walking off stage sadly, leaving Prince Quackity remaining.

 _"The New Order has no need for fairy tales... **The case is closed.** "_ Quackity spoke, his voice lacking any sort of emotion as he turned around, stepping off camera after Schlatt.

Tubbo was too busy crying into Tommy's shirt to even recognize that someone had turned off the TV - likely Phil or Wilbur.

"Tubbo... We're not going to give up." Phil spoke up, appearing behind them as he rubbed Tubbo's back.

"B-But you heard him... He said he didn't want to see m-more-" 

"But you ARE Toby! Schlatt wouldn't want you to give up if he knew you were this close to home, Tubs!" Tommy interrupted.

Tubbo nodded, sniffling as he pulled away from Tommy's hug, feeling at least a little better. "Okay... But... Schlatt is the King... how on earth are we going to get a chance to meet him?"

"I have an idea." 

They all looked up at Wilbur, who spoke, with surprise. "You do?" Phil voiced, a bit doubtful. 

"Mhm! I actually have a... friend, let's say, who is a very close friend of King Schlatt." Wilbur grinned mischievously, placing his hands on his hips.

"You have friends?" Tommy asked, causing Phil to let out a loud laugh.

"Yes, little gremlin child. I have friends." Wilbur retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at Tommy.

"-Anyway, so a few years ago, I met this girl through a dating show-" Wilbur snorted at his family's bewildered looks of surprise, before continuing. "She wasn't the one I picked in the end, put she was a hard second! We got along really well, so we kept in touch. She's a really good friend of mine, and I think she will be able to help us see Schlatt!"

"Hold on, are we just going to gloss over the fact that Wilbur was on a DATING SHOW?!" Tommy interrupted, looking at Wilbur with wide eyes as he broke off into laugher, bending over as he wheezed. His laugher was contagious, and soon Tubbo, Phil, and even Techno were all laughing along. "Wil, you never told me you were in with the _women_! Pass me some, bruv!"

Wilbur glared at them all, sticking his tongue out at them and pouting. They all laughed it off until they calmed down, getting serious again.

"Well, who is this girl, Wilbur?" Phil asked, eyebrows raised in suspicion, probably doubting the fact that the girl is even real. 

"Her name is Minx. I know for sure that she'll be able to help us in one way or another. Funny enough, she's actually the person who interviews the people who come forward saying they were Toby. So we would arrange a meet-up, and then while we're there, we'll be like 'oh hey! This is our good friend Tubbo. We strongly believe he is Schlatt's son!' and then Tubbo will answer her questions and then we'll get to see Schlatt!" Wilbur explained quickly, clapping his hands excitedly at the end.

"Hold on- Interview?! You never said I would have to PROVE I was Prince Toby!" Tubbo suddenly objected, standing up and looking at Phil accusingly. 

"Well, everyone has to, Tubbo-" Phil sighed.

"-No. I can't do this, Phil. I... I barely know who I am. I can't remember anything from before I was 8, Phil! There's no way this Minx person is going to believe a fucking child who supposedly has amnesia and can't remember shit and can't answer any of her questions-" Tubbo rambled anxiously, though he was cut off as Wilbur suddenly pulled him into a hug. Tubbo's voice faltered and he hid his face in the obnoxiously tall boy's chest, more tears slipping down his cheeks. "...I just... I'm scared. I'm scared of what they will think of me. What if I'm not the child Schlatt thought I was?"

"You'll be fine, Tubbo." Wilbur whispered, cradling his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "It's going to be okay. We'll be with you all the way. If you want, we can review some more history on our way to see Minx tomorrow. But I know you won't need it, because you _are_ Toby."

Tubbo looked up at his older brother, who used his thumb to wipe Tubbo's eyes with a sad smile. "...There's a father waiting in Paris for his son to come home, Tubbo. We need to go. He needs you."

Tubbo smiled, wiping his own tears away with his sleeve as he hugged Wilbur tightly. "...Thank you, Wilbur." he whispered. 

"No problem, kiddo." Wilbur hummed, smiling softly. When they let go, Wilbur pulled out his phone, and waved it in the air. "I've got a phone call to make now." he hummed with a delighted laugh. He began dialling the familiar number, walking over to the hotel room's door. They watched Wilbur leave to take the call.

 _"My darling Minx! Have I got a surprise to tell you!"_ he called into the phone in his usual sweet voice, and their conversation was cut off as Wilbur stepped into the hallway, shutting the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA ITS MINX LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOO
> 
> I'll admit I'm not huge fan of Minx so I haven't watched many of her videos, so forgive me if I get her personality a little wrong in the next few chapters! I'm trying my best! <3


	15. We'll Go From There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The SBI go and pay a visit to Minx, the first step in their plan to get to Schlatt.
> 
> They just now have to convince her that Tubbo is the long lost Prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry my absence for a little bit! I've been busy with school and stuff. After this short break though I've been recharged so hopefully updates should resume as normal! 
> 
> This chapter is a little short as I've been dealing with shit the past few days. My roommate set our oven on fire and caused a lot of damage to the kitchen that we're now trying to figure out how the fuck to disguise it and make it look normal so we don't get screwed over by our rental company. Was a pretty scary experience in general that I've been trying to calm down from. Never knew how bad soot in the air was, the whole night after I couldn't get the taste of ash out of my mouth lmao. Not to mention the soot in my nose. Fun times. 
> 
> anyway, here's the chapter!!! Hopefully the next one should be up in less than a week.

Tubbo walked alongside his family as they walked down a forest path. Ahead of him, Wilbur was walking, practically skipping as he hummed.

"I hope Minx is happy to see me!" he clapped with a laugh, a mischievous glint in his eye that made the rest of them roll their eyes.

"Wil, try not to piss the girl off too much or she'll throw us out before we can tell her about Tubbo." Phil chuckled, a yawn leaving his lips. 

"Phil, Phil- How could you accuse me of such a thing? I respect women almost as much as Tommy does." Wilbur retorted, crossing his arms.

"This is why you're single." came Techno's monotone reply, which made the brunette whip around, sending a nasty jab with his elbow at Techno.

"Excuse you! At least I talk to girls. Tech, you haven't even brought anyone home yet, your opinion is invalid."

"I agree with you-" Tommy spoke up before he got interrupted.

"-See! Tommy's got my back-"

"-I agree that Wilbur sucks at talking to women." finished Tommy, which only earned a sharp glare from Wilbur, causing the blonde to laugh.

They all laughed it off, before Tubbo spoke up. "So... remind me again why we have to visit your girlfriend Wilbur? Can't we just go see Schlatt ourselves?"

"First of all- she's not my girlfriend- I piss her off so much she can barely stand me." Wilbur corrected despite knowing the younger male was joking. "Secondly, Schlatt's really hard to see in person. He's never in public, and his castle is off limits to visitors. He throws parties sometimes for his closest friends and associates, so we're hoping Minx can get us into one of those parties since she's good friends with him." 

Tubbo nodded. That made sense, at least. He released a shaky sigh from his lips, feeling nervous about the whole thing. Tommy noticed his unease, and slung an arm around his shoulders as they walked, helping bring Tubbo comfort. 

"So, what will the process be like? Is she just going to look at me and let us see Schlatt?" Tubbo asked hopefully.

"Well, uh, you see. Before Schlatt stopped seeing people claiming they were his son, they had to go through a quizzing process first. You know, to sort out the obvious fakes since Schlatt is a busy man. She'll probably just ask you some questions regarding your life with Schlatt." Wilbur explained.

"-Wait, hold on! You never told me I would have to prove I was the Prince!" Tubbo stopped walking, eyes widening with fear. "I barely know who I am, Wilbur. I can't do this. I can barely remember anything from before I was 8, which mind you, will look really suspicious if I can't answer 90% of her questions!"

The others stopped walking, turning to face the panicking boy. Techno stepped up, resting his hands on Tubbo's shoulders as he stood in front of him.

"Tubbo, look at me. You're fine. You're going to do great, I know it. You know why?" the pink-haired male assured.

"Why?"

"Because you are the Prince. The story lines up perfectly! There's no way you're not Prince Toby." 

"Yeah, but it could just be coincidence-"

"-You recalled everything that happened on that night yourself, Tubbo. You remembered all of the lyrics to your music box yourself. You were just 8 at the time!" Phil added, rubbing Tubbo's back encouragingly. 

Tubbo sighed, turning around and taking a few steps back the way they came. "I don't know. What if Schlatt turns me away-"

A hand caught Tubbo's, stopping him from walking further. He was gently pulled back, and when Tubbo turned around, he saw it was Tommy.

"We're so close to possibly finding your dad, and you're going to give up now?" Tommy asked, staring at Tubbo with a frown on his face. "Come on, Tubster! You never give up! Are you telling me that the big man I know who fought beside me in a war for our independence is just going to give up when he's so close now?"

Tubbo sighed, offering a small smile as he squeezed Tommy's hand. 

"The Tubbo I know would never give up when faced with difficulty!" Tommy added, pulling Tubbo in for a hug. Tubbo closed his eyes for a moment, returning the hug before he pulled back, smiling again properly now. 

"You're right. Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go see Minx!" Tubbo hummed, and they continued walking. Tubbo didn't let go of Tommy's hand, and the blonde boy didn't seem to mind it either. 


	16. The Interview

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minx asks Tubbo some questions about his past with Schlatt. To his surprise, the interview goes really well.

The group approaches a cute little house set just outside of Paris. It looks cosy, and has a wooden fence surrounding the property. Biting back his nerves, Tubbo enters through the gate with his brothers and father, heading up to the door. Before they can reach the door, it opens, revealing a brown-haired girl, who grins when her eyes land on Wilbur. 

Wilbur opens his arms to her as he approaches in front of the group, and the two share a short embrace before parting. Minx smiled at them all, stepping out of the way. "Come in, come in! God Wilbur, it's been so long since I've last seen you."

"Indeed it has. Did you miss me?" Wilbur sent her a cheeky grin, which caused the girl to shove him lightly, glaring at him.

"Never. Why would I miss your fucking banana eating ass?" she retorted, which made Wilbur laugh while the rest of the group stared at them conversing in confusion, eyebrows raised. 

Wilbur glanced at Phil, seeing his confused look. "I ate like, more than 4 bananas on the dating show with Minx. All the girls were talking amongst themselves about me or some shit, and I had a thing of bananas on my desk."

"And you ate them all just to piss me off." added Minx.

"Correct!" Wilbur laughed.

They all spent the next few minutes getting settled in Minx's house, and they all sat down on the couches in the living room together. Tubbo held a glass cup holding water in his hands, biting his lip as he stared into the glass, swirling the water around gently anxiously. Phil caught his eye, giving him a reassuring smile. "You'll be fine," Phil mouthed at him, and Tubbo nodded, smiling softly.

"Anyway, let me introduce you to my family, Minx!" Wilbur finally said, clapping his hands together.

"This is my father, Phil! We call him Dadza." Wilbur introduced, slinging an arm around the shorter man's shoulders. 

"Then, this is Techno. He's my twin brother." the brunette explained, then whispered, lowering his voice. "He's the older brother, but he won't admit it."

"That's because you're literally the older twin-" Techno interrupted.

"Shh. He's in denial." Wilbur laughed, covering Techno's mouth with his hand. 

Moving on, Wilbur hovered near Tommy and Tubbo, who sat side-by-side.

"These are the children, Tommy, and Tubbo!" Wilbur hummed, ruffling their hair, then let a few moments of silence fall, the grin slipping from his cheeks for a moment.

"...Actually, Tubbo is the real reason why we came to see you, Minx." Wilbur admitted, sitting back down, this time beside Tubbo. 

"Oh? What is it, then?" Minx asked, sitting back in the chair, curious.

"I believe we've found Schlatt's son." Wilbur spoke, completely serious so Minx didn't assume he was joking like he usually did. He laid a hand on Tubbo's shoulder, giving the younger boy a reassuring grin when he looked up at him. "Minx, meet Tubbo. We strongly believe he is Schlatt's son- we know he's his son."

"Oh!" they heard from Minx, who sat forward now, interested, eyes on Tubbo. Tubbo gave her a small, nervous smile and a wave.

"Uhm, hi. Yeah, what Wilbur said. I struggle to remember my past, for the majority of my childhood, I couldn't remember anything from before I was 8 years old. There was an accident that caused me to lose most of my memories of who I was. Phil found me wandering near some train tracks outside the Dream SMP, and pretty much adopted me when we couldn't find my real parents." Tubbo stammered, twiddling his fingers. 

Minx was silent for a few moments, and Tubbo's nerves only grew even more as she studied him.

"...Well, you do look like him. Quite a lot, actually." she murmured, a rare hint of emotion in her voice. "More so than the others. Regardless, I still have to ask you some questions to see if you really are Prince Toby." 

Tubbo perked up at that, smiling, relieved. "Of course! Anything. I'll do my best to answer them."

Minx nodded, and smiled, standing up, fetching a piece of paper before coming back over to them. She began her questions.

"Why do you think you're Schlatt's son?"

"Ah... Um, if I'm honest, I don't actually know for sure. It's more of a feeling. My mysterious past lines up really well with what happened to Toby. I've never known my real dad, the train accident took most of my childhood memories from me. But I look like him a lot, and I just know that there is a strong chance that Schlatt is my father."

Minx nodded, making a little note to herself on the paper. "What date did Toby go missing and how old were you?"

"I got separated from my father on the night of December 20th, 8 years ago. Phil found me wandering around completely lost on the morning of the 21st. I was 8 years old."

Minx hummed, writing something else down. She continued to interview him for the next 20 minutes, making light conversation and asking questions here and there. Tubbo was able to answer them pretty easily, they were just about him and his childhood with Schlatt. Although he couldn't remember most of his childhood, he simply shared with her the few memories that he did have with Schlatt.

"Great! Well, you've given really good answers to all the questions so far. I just have... one more question. This one is a little more difficult, no one has actually gotten this right yet." Minx explained, frowning slightly. 

Tubbo nodded nervously. His family shared equally anxious looks. "Alright, shoot."

"So we know you got separated from Schlatt on the train. But before that, you and Schlatt stopped in the Dream SMP. Dream chased you out, but how did you escape?" she asked, staring at him intently. 

Phil, Techno, and Wilbur all shared anxious looks. They didn't know. That meant Tubbo didn't know, right-?

"Uh... I remember my father and I running away from them. They were getting closer." Tubbo answered slowly, shutting his eyes tight as he tried to think. It was right there... on the edge of his mind. A memory he could barely recall. The face of someone who kneeled down in front of the shaking, 8-year-old boy. Someone who wasn't his father.

"There... was a man who helped us. I remember he talked to me. I can't remember what he looked like, but he helped us get away. He showed us where to run, and pointed to where the train station was. He then distracted Dream as we ran away." Tubbo answered truthfully. 

His family was in shock. They hadn't heard this from Tubbo yet, not even Tommy had. Tubbo was in shock as well, his thoughts now busy fluttering around this mystery guy who helped them escape the Dream SMP. He couldn't remember him. Why- Why couldn't he remember him?

Minx stood up, making a final note on her paper as she paced over to the window. She was silent, glancing out the window, looking lost in thought for a few moments.

"So? How did he do?" Wilbur asked, eyes hopeful as he stood up, following Minx. Tubbo stepped after them gingerly, hands clasped together in front of him, biting his lip.

"Well... he did get all the questions right." she finally said with a smile. 

"Yooo! Hear that, Tubster!? You got them right!" Tommy shouted with glee, running over to Tubbo and throwing his arms around the shorter boy's neck in a hug. Tubbo laughed happily, embracing his friend tightly. This was a dream come true!

"So! When can we see Schlatt and introduce Tubbo to him?" Phil asked, him and Techno following the small group to the window excitedly.

The smile fell from Minx's face, and Tubbo felt his heart drop in his chest. "I'm... I'm afraid you can't."

"What?! Why not?" Techno butted in, a frown on his lips as he crossed his arms. "He got all the questions right, didn't he?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid Schlatt no longer wants to accept anymore children pretending to be Toby. He's seen so many kids it hurts him to continue, it only brings him more grief." Minx said sadly, turning away from them to stare out the window.

Techno was about to retort again, but was stopped by Wilbur, who walked up to the girl. He wrapped a gentle arm around her shoulders, turning her back around.

"Come on, Minx. Look at him. This is Toby. It has to be him! The kid even got that last difficult question right all on his own. We travelled all this way to get Tubbo back to his dad, and we're not giving up now. Please, just let us see him. Do it for me?" Wilbur asked softly, giving the girl the equivalent of puppy-dog eyes, though his gaze still held some form of sincerity.

Minx sighed, looking down before she looked at Tubbo, holding his hopeful gaze for a few moments. She then smiled, slipping out of Wilbur's embrace for a moment. Her voice picked up with almost staged excitement as she continued.

"Have I told you about Schlatt's party this weekend? It's a huge event with a bunch of his friends and associates. Schlatt, of course, will be there. You should come with us! We never miss it!" she exclaimed happily, clapping her hands, winking at Tubbo encouragingly.

Tubbo was confused, thinking that Minx was deflecting Wilbur's question for a moment, before it hit him what she was implying. Of course, if Schlatt didn't want to see them, they wouldn't be able to visit him at his home. But... if they could manage to talk to him at the party... Tubbo would get the chance to talk to Schlatt.

Tommy cheered, once more wrapping Tubbo up in a tight hug. "We're going to a party, lads!" he shouted, causing all of them to laugh. Tubbo chuckled, burying his face into Tommy's chest, excitement and relief sweeping through him. They were so close. He couldn't believe they would be meeting his dad at last.

"You guys need some nice clothes for the party though. Tell you what, let's have a night out on the town the day before the party! I'll show you guys around downtown Paris, and we can go shopping for new clothes. We can have dinner at a nice restaurant as well." Minx offered, placing her hands on her hips. 

"We'd be delighted to, Minx!" Wilbur answered, grinning happily.

"That settles it then! We celebrate!" they all cheered. 


End file.
